LSM Newswire

Friday, May 29, 2009

WSO Remembers Max Tapper

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is saddened to recognize the passing of former WSO Executive Director Max Tapper.

Tapper came from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to serve as Executive Director from 1985 to 1991, before moving on to become Managing Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure at the WSO, Tapper is credited with hiring Artistic Director Bramwell Tovey as well and the WSOĺ─˘s first Composer-in-Residence Glenn Buhr. Together with Tovey and Buhr, he worked to establish the organizationĺ─˘s world-renowned New Music Festival.

ĺ─˙We are very saddened to learn of his passing. He was a brilliant negotiator and a terrific salesman and he brought an intense passion to his work with the orchestra. Our condolences go out to his family on behalf of the musicians,ĺ─¨ said Principal Harp and board member Richard Turner.

A service will be held for Tapper on Sunday (May 31) at 2 pm at Cropo Funeral Chapel.

The VSO's Exciting Season Finale!

The VSOĺ─˘s Season Finale is a real barn-burner: Carl Orffĺ─˘s extraordinary masterpiece Carmina Burana is a musical setting of medieval poetry, from the sacred to the profane, from devotional love and piety to drinking songs and debauchery! It also happens to be one of the wildest live concert experiences you can possibly have. Combined with Stravinskyĺ─˘sSymphony of Psalms, this concert is a magnificent Season Finale for Lower Mainland audiences, and a prelude to the excitement of the 2009/2010 Season!

Maestro Bramwell Tovey wields the baton in this massive concert that features soprano Laura Whalen, tenor Colin Ainsworth, baritone Hugh Russell, the Vancouver Bach Choir, and the Vancouver Bach Childrenĺ─˘s Chorus. Concerts take place on Saturday and Monday, June 13th and 15th, 8pm at the Orpheum Theatre.

Carmina Burana was German composer Carl Orffĺ─˘s first and greatest success. It is a scenic cantata composed between 1935 and 1936 based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection of the same name. In 1803, at the monastery of Benediktbeuern in Upper Bavaria, musicologist J. A. Schmeller discovered a manuscript collection of lyrics, dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and eventually published it in 1847. The polite side of the collection includes six plays based on the Christmas, Passion and Easter mysteries. The earthier part contains some 200 drinking songs, love lyrics and recruiting songs.

When Orff came across the manuscript in 1935, he saw in it the ideal vehicle to express the kind of basic, uncomplicated human emotions he had in mind. Choosing two dozen poems from the collection, with the assistance of Michel Hofmann, he matched them with equally direct music, featuring simple yet striking rhythms, melodies and harmonies. ĺ─˙Itĺ─˘s not sophisticated, not intellectual,ĺ─¨ he wrote, ĺ─˙and the themes of my work are themes that everyone knowsĺ─ÂThere is a spiritual power behind my work, thatĺ─˘s why it is accepted throughout the world.ĺ─¨ The premiere took place in Frankfurt on June 8, 1937.

The illuminated pictures that accompanied the original poems intrigued Orff virtually as much as the words. The cover showed luck as a revolving wheel, blindly governing peopleĺ─˘s destinies. Orff begins his Carmina Burana with a grandiose hymn, Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi (Luck, Empress of the World), saluting this inscrutable, unpredictable concept. O Fortuna is one of the grandest statements in all of music, and has become famous world-wide. This extraordinary music from the beginning of Carmina Burana has been used in movies, commercials, and in sports arenas around the world as a trigger for creating feelings of drama and thrilling anticipation. Primo vere (In Springtime), follows. It deals, mostly in quiet, mysterious fashion, with the anticipated arrival of that season. Joy eventually breaks forth as Spring itself appears. It is celebrated in the section entitled Uf dem anger (On the Green).

The next segment, In Taberna (In the Tavern) salutes the juice of the grape in riotous fashion. The tenor soloist, singing in falsetto, takes the role of a swan roasting slowly and sadly on a spit. The baritone is an Abbot who launches the men of the choir into a rollicking ode to drink.

Cour dĺ─˘amours (Court of Love) brings several of Orffĺ─˘s loveliest, most lyrical moments. The soprano solo In trutina (In the Balance) a glowing anticipation of fulfillment, is a particular highlight. After the ecstatic fervor of Blanziflor et Helena (Blanchefleur and Helen, the principal characters in a medieval romance), Orffĺ─˘s ode to luck returns, to close Carmina Burana as majestically as it began.

Igor Stravinskyĺ─˘sSymphony of Psalms was commissioned in 1929 by conductor Serge Koussevitzky, for the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He used this opportunity to realize a project he had been considering for some time: a setting of selected Biblical Psalms for chorus and orchestra.

ĺ─˙I began with Psalm 150,ĺ─¨ Stravinsky wrote. ĺ─˙After finishing the fast-tempo sections, I went back to compose the first and second movementsĺ─ÂThe first movement, Hear my prayer, O Lord, (Psalm 39) was composed in a state of religious and musical symbolism in any of my music before The Flood. It consists of an upside-down pyramid of fugues.

ĺ─˙The Allegro in Psalm 150 (Finale of the Symphony) was inspired by a vision of Elijahĺ─˘s chariot climbing to the heavens; never before had I written anything quite so literal as the triplets for horns and piano to suggest the horses and chariot. In setting the words of this final hymn, I cared above all for the sounds of the syllables, and I have indulged my besetting pleasure of regulating prosody in my own way.ĺ─¨

Stravinsky, who had become a regular communicant of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1926, inscribed the score of Symphony of Psalms ĺ─˙To the Glory of God.ĺ─¨ The orchestration includes enlarged wind and brass sections, but excludes violins and violas.

This year internationally successful musicians will be travelling to the Rhine in order to perform at the Chamber Music Festival in the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck. Hłęlł«ne Grimaud, Lisa Batiashvili, Sol Gabetta, Christiane Oelze, Elena Bashkirova, Guy Braunstein, Emmanuel Pahud and Paul Meyer are among the artists.

Guy Braunstein, first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, is the festival's artistic director. Chaim Taub, former concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, will be in charge of the festival's master class.

Seven concerts will take place during the ten-day long fourth festival season when 34 artists will perform chamber music of the 20th and 21st century.

Hłęlł«ne Grimaud and Guy Braunstein will open the festival on 14 July. On 20 July the young musicians of the West Eastern Divan Orchestra will present the programme perfected during Chaim Taub's master class. For the first time the soprano Christiane Oelze will be taking part in the festival. On 21 and 23 July she will be singing pieces by Wagner, Berg and Mahler.

Guests visiting the Bahnhof Rolandseck concert hall which seats 200 people can look forward to a most diverse programme. The repertoire of the five standard concerts and two special concerts extends from Mozart and Brahms to Schumann, Rimsky-Korsakov and Dvorak. Particular focus has been placed on orchestral works and operas in partly new chamber musical arrangements. Guy Braunstein adapted both the prelude and Isoldes Liebestod from Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde for soprano, violin, viola, violoncello, wind quintet and double bass. Ohad Ben Ari wrote an arrangement on Strawinsky's orchestral suite The Firebird for strings and wind quintet. Yoel Ghamzou concentrated on Mahler's Rł║ckert Lieder for voice and piano. The resultant composition is a nonet.

The revival of the master course tradition is a highlight of this year's festival. The Rolandseck summer courses took place annually from 1982 to 1996 at Bahnhof Rolandseck. During these years they represented a unique combination of both festival and master class. Chaim Taub, former concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Bernhard Greenhouse, co-founder of the Beaux Arts Trio were the main teachers. Young musicians aged between ten and twenty who were mostly from Israel were being tutored while famous musicians were performing. The courses were concluded by concerts featuring the participants.Formerly classes were largely dominated by young Israeli musicians, but this year 14 members of Daniel Barenboim's West Eastern Divan Orchestra from Israel, the Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Iran, Egypt and Turkey will be instructed by 84-year-old Chaim Taub. This enterprise occurred in cooperation with the Barenboim Said Foundation.

Halfway through the festival on 19 July, guests will be invited to enjoy a relaxing boat trip. This almost mandatory cruise will also serve as a venue for Guy Braunstein and Gili Schwarzman's civil wedding ceremony. (Gili Schwarzman is a festival participant and a member of the West Eastern Divan Orchestra).

Toronto Music Garden celebrates its 10th anniversary season with free concerts and dance performances and two world premieres

This year, the Toronto Music Garden celebrates its 10th anniversary of outstanding free performances in a unique setting, and popular garden tours. Summer Music in the Garden 2009 will see the return of many favourite Music Garden performers from the past 10 seasons, while more than 30 artists will make their Music Garden debut.

From June 28-September 20, Summer Music in the Garden presents 20 free outdoor concerts and dance performances involving more than 90 artists in total. This year's eclectic lineup includes five dance performances, ranging from Korean to Baroque to contemporary. Two dances will be world premieres: one by choreographer Carol Anderson featuring dancer Claudia Moore on Sept. 3, and another by Andrea Nann Dreamwalker Dance Company with multimedia composer Tom Kuo, on Sept. 10.

The concerts take place on Thursday evenings at 7pm and on most Sundays at 4pm. The free tours of the Toronto Music Garden, led by volunteers from the Toronto Botanical Garden, return for another season, taking place on Wednesdays at 11am, June 3-September 30, and on Thursdays before every concert at 5:30pm from July 2-September 10. Admission to the park and all its programming is free.

Both Summer Music in the Garden and the guided tours are produced by Harbourfront Centre in partnership with City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and with the generous support of Toronto Culture, Margaret & Jim Fleck, George Dembroski, David Graham, Sandra & Jim Pitblado and William & Phyllis Waters. Renowned Canadian composer Ann Southam has generously commissioned the new dance by Carol Anderson to music by J.S. Bach (Sept. 3); Harbourfront Centre has commissioned Leika, by Andrea Nann Dreamwalker Dance Company and multimedia artist Tom Kuo, which receives its world premiere on Sept. 10. Summer Music in the Garden is curated for Harbourfront Centre by Artistic Director Tamara Bernstein.

The Toronto Music Garden is a City of Toronto park, located on the waterfront at 475 Queens Quay West (on the water's edge side), between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. The Garden is wheelchair-accessible and open year-round. For information on the Toronto Music Garden and its current programmes, the public can call Harbourfront Centre, 416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/torontomusicgarden. For information on other City of Toronto parks and gardens, the public can call 416-338-0338 or visit toronto.ca/parks_gardens.

10TH ANNIVERSARY SUMMER MUSIC IN THE GARDEN SCHEDULE

All concerts are approximately one hour long (except where noted) and take place weather permitting. Concerts are cancelled in the event of inclement weather.

Sunday, June 28, 4pmShauna and FriendsRenowned Canadian cellist Shauna Rolston leads six outstanding student cellists from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music in music by Elgar, Massenet, Kreisler and others, arranged for cello solo, duo, and ensemble. As a prelude, Barbara Croall (cedar flutes and First Nation drum) and Anita McAlister (trumpet and conch shell) perform Croall's Calling from Different Directions, which was composed for the Music Garden in summer 2008. Calling from Different Directions is a short, arresting piece that invokes the four sacred directions, bringing together instruments from different cultural "directions": trumpet, conch shell, traditional cedar flutes and First Nations hand drum.

Sunday, July 5, 4pmOrfea and the Golden HarpTheatre Cotton Robes presents their delightful adaptation of the Orfeo myth for the whole family. A little girl shoulders her golden harp and journeys to the Underworld to bring her beloved grandfather back to life; along the way we hear music from 400 years of opera, including Monteverdi, Mozart and Offenbach. Performed by baritone Lawrence Cotton, soprano Brooke Dufton and pianist Rachad Feizoullaev. (For information about Theatre Cotton Robes, visit www.theatrecottonrobes.com.)

Sunday, July 19, 4pmDoes This Drum Make My Brass Sound Big?The brass and percussion sections of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada return with a delightful, varied programme that showcases outstanding young Canadian musicians. (For information about the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, visit nyoc.org.)

Sunday, July 26, 4pmOiseaux Interurbains/Migratory SongflutesAlison Melville performs acoustic and electronic music from the 12th to 21st centuries, for various flutes, recorders and recorded sound, including works by Bach, Telemann, Hildegard of Bingen, Jacob van Eyck, Peter Hannan, Linda C. Smith, Ben Grossman and the performer. (For information about Alison Melville, visit alisonmelville.com.)

Thursday, July 30, 7pmBehind the MasquesThe period musicians of Toronto Masque Theatre, with renowned Montreal dancer-choreographer Marie-Nathalie Lacoursił«re, reveal different faces of baroque danceĺ─ţcourtly, theatrical, grotesque. Lacoursił«re will also perform several baroque dances reflected in the design of the Music Garden. "[Marie-Nathalie Lacoursił«re] has set a new standard for historical dance in Toronto."ĺ─ţRobert Everett-Green, reviewing Toronto Masque Theatre in the Globe and Mail, April 25, 2009. (For information about Toronto Masque Theatre, visit torontomasquetheatre.ca.)

Sunday, August 9, 4pmPassage to IndiaSinger Bageshree Vaze and tabla virtuoso Vineet Viyas perform classical North Indian ragas, along with classically-based songs from early Bollywood. (For information about Bageshree Vaze, visit bageshree.com and for information about Vineet Viyas, visit vineetvyas.com.)

Sunday, August 16, 4pmUtopian VoicesIn the early baroque, fans of the renaissance cornetto and the newly perfected violin duked it out over which instrument was closest to the human voice. Happily, we don't have to choose when the virtuosi of FOLIAĺ─ţbaroque violinist Linda Melsted and cornettist Kiri Tollaksenĺ─ţperform glorious music by Castello, Frescobaldi, Gabrieli and others. With Borys Medicky, harpsichord.

Thursday, August 20, 7pm"My Unrest": Yiddish Songs for a New DayGrammy-nominated singer Adrienne Cooper (New York) and world-renowned pianist Marilyn Lerner (Toronto) perform music from their new CD: settings of Yiddish modernist poems on love, longing, war and migration by contemporary composers including Sarah Gordon, Frank London, Fima Chorny and the performers. (For information about Marilyn Lerner, visit marilynlerner.com.)

Sunday, August 23, 4pmAccordions for a WeillFour virtuoso accordionistsĺ─ţIna Henning, Eugene Laskiewicz, Joseph Macerollo and Alexander Sevastienĺ─ţperform a wide-ranging programme of music, from Bach to Piazzola. Mezzo-soprano Ali Garrison joins Henning in songs by Kurt Weill, and accompanies dancer-choreographer Claudia Moore in Moore's touching dance, For Heddy, to the Brecht/Weill song, Nana's Lied. "Heddy was my dear grandma from Germany who loved parties, was a fabulous cook and worked at the Broadway Market in Buffalo. She lived to be 97. Nana's Song makes me think of her and inspired me to make this dance."ĺ─ţClaudia Moore

Thursday, August 27, 7pmEchoes of Ancient BoundariesIn ancient Japan, village boundaries extended as far as the sound of their taiko drums carried. The thrilling sounds of Toronto's outstanding taiko ensemble Nagata Shachu (formerly known as the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble) transcend the boundaries of East and West, past and present. (For information about Nagata Shachu, visit nagatashachu.com.)

Sunday, August 30, 4pmPercussion from a SuitcaseFind out what happens when a percussionistĺ─ţthe spectacular Aiyun Huang of Montrealĺ─ţcreates a programme for which all the instruments fit into her suitcase! Music by Matthew Burtner, Alvin Lucier, Javier Alvarez, Roberto Sierra, Georges Aperghis and John Adams. (For information about Aiyun Huang, visit aiyunhuang.com.)

Thursday, September 3, 7pmBach at Dusk ĺ─ý With ClaudiaWinona Zelenka continues her journey through Bach's six suites for solo cello. This summer, she performs the Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major for solo cello; for the last three movements of the piece (Sarabande, Bourree I and II, and Gigue), Ms. Zelenka is joined by dancer Claudia Moore in the world premiere of a new work by choreographer Carol Anderson. The dance has been generously commissioned by renowned Canadian composer Ann Southam.Please note: This is a 30-minute concert due to early sunset. (For information about Winona Zelenka, visit winonazelenka.com. (For more information on Claudia Moore, visit danceumbrella.net/clients_moonhorse.htm.)

Thursday, September 10, 7pmLeikaIn a new work commissioned by Harbourfront Centre, Andrea Nann Dreamwalker Dance Company and multimedia composer Tom Kuo reveal hidden secrets of the Music Garden through music, dance and interactive play. Please note: This is a 30-minute concert due to early sunset. Pre-performance audience participation encouraged from 6:30-7pm. (For information about Andrea Nann, visit dreamwalkerdance.com.)

Sunday September 20, 4pmThe Sanssouci QuartetThis exciting new Boston-Toronto quartet on period instruments performs Boccherini's Quartet in D Major and Mozart's Quartet in D Minor, K. 421.Abigail Karr and Karina Fox (violins), Sarah Darling (viola), Kate Haynes (cello). And to close: a reprise of Barbara Croall's Calling from Different Directions, performed by Anita McAlister and the composer. (See June 28 concert.)

TORONTO MUSIC GARDEN TOURSGuided tours begin at 11am on Wednesdays: June 3, 10, 17, 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26; September 2, 9, 16, 23, 30.Pre-concert guided tours begin at 5:30pm on Thursdays: July 2, 9, 16, 23; August 6, 13, 30, 27; September 3, 10.Visitors are invited to take a free 45-minute walking tour led by Toronto Botanical Garden tour guides. Tours start in the west end of the Garden in the Prelude section. Self-guided 70-minute audio tours (English only) hosted by Yo-Yo Ma and Julie Moir Messervy are also available for a rental fee of $5 (free rentals for children). Private group tours are also available ($5 per person). For reservations, call 416-397-1366 or visit torontobotanicalgarden.ca.

TORONTO MUSIC GARDEN BACKGROUNDThe Toronto Music Garden is one of Toronto's most enchanted locations. The Garden was conceived by internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and designed by Boston-based landscape artist Julie Moir Messervy. Its design interprets Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major for Unaccompanied Cello, with each dance movement within the suite corresponding to a different section of the Garden: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuett and Gigue. A unique and magical venue, the Toronto Music Garden is the only garden/park in the world known to be directly inspired by a specific piece of music.

The Toronto Music Garden opened in 1999; concerts have been held there every summer since 2000. Since 2001, the concerts have been produced by Harbourfront Centre in partnership with City of Toronto, under the artistic direction of Tamara Bernstein. The Garden itself is lovingly maintained by City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, as well as volunteers.

The Toronto Music Garden, located on Queens Quay West at the foot of Spadina Avenue, is easy to reach by public transit. From Spadina Station take the 510 (Union Station) streetcar south. From Union Station take the Harbourfront LRT (509 or 510 streetcar) going west from inside Union Station. Call the Toronto Transit Commission at 416-393-4636 for transit information.

FOCUS: ShiftHarbourfront Centre wants you to shift gears.

What does it mean to change your perspectives on idea, explore new ways of approaching an old notion or to literally shift gears? From June to September, Harbourfront Centre explores the idea of "shift" throughout its programming. How does an ever-changing culture influence the lives and experiences of artists? What happens when we view the world from a different vantage point? What can be learned from migration, relocation and transformation?

Harbourfront Centre: Change perspectives.

SHIFT is part of an ongoing focus in programming. Our Lens. Your View.

GLORIOUS! PERFORMANCE BENEFITS EDMONTON OPERA

Experience the inimitable glory of operatic self-delusion that is Florence Foster Jenkins while supporting the inimitable glory that is Edmonton Opera with Shadow Theatre's June 4thproduction of Glorious! The evening begins with complimentary refreshments at 7pm, followed by a 7:30pmperformance, both at the Varscona Theatre (10329 83 Avenue). Tickets, available by calling 780-424-4040 ext. 231, are $60*, and proceeds from the ticket sales benefit Edmonton Opera directly.

Peter Quilter's Glorious! tells the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the 1940's eccentric and enthusiastic soprano whose voice left much to be desired. Possessing a voice of extraordinary volume but minimal beauty, she is determined to share her gifts with the rest of the worldĺ─Â Whether it wants them or not. This hilarious and heart-warming comedy takes audiences though the sonic glory of her charity recitals, extravagant balls, bizarre recording sessions and ultimate triumph at Carnegie Hall, and sets out to prove real talent may only be a secondary concern in becoming a world famous performing artist.

Florence was a New York legend: a lady who believed she was blessed with a divine voice and that it was her duty and pleasure to delight her friends and later, the public, with her arias. Sadly, her voice, though powerful, rarely stayed on pitch or hit the correct note, making her renditions discordantly appalling - yet strangely appealing.

Glorious! premiered in September 2005 in England, was at least the third play about Florence. In November 2005, it transferred to London's West End, where it ran for more than 200 performances, and was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award as Best New Comedy. More than 20 countries worldwide have produced the hit show in 13 languages. Shadow Theatre'sproduction is directed by Wayne Paquette, stars Leona Brausen, Coralie Cairns and Darrin Hagen, featuring set and lights by April Viczko, costumes by Brian Bast, production management by Scott Peters and stage management by Elizabeth Allison.

Tickets Now On Sale for PORToperaĺ─˘s 15th Anniversary Gala Concert, July 30

Tickets are now on sale for PORTopera's 15th Anniversary Gala Celebration Concert to be held Thursday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m. PORTopera, Maine's only professional opera company, enjoys its 15th anniversary with special events throughout the summer, including the grand opera concert featuring a full orchestra and singers from past productions. The concert takes place at Merrill Auditorium (20 Myrtle Street, Portland).

Some of the planned arias and duets planned for the Anniversary Concert are: "Si. Mi Chiamano MimłĘ" from Puccini's La Bohł«me, "Un bel dłĘ" and the "Flower Duet" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly, the "Habanera" and "Torłęador's Song" from Bizet's Carmen, and "LłŢ ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Tickets for the PORTopera Anniversary Concert range from $38 to $100 plus PortTix handling fees, and may be purchased at www.porttix.com, by calling (207) 842-0800, or by visiting the PortTix box office Monday through Saturday from noon to 6:00 p.m.

For more information about the concert and other PORTopera 15th anniversary events, visit www.portopera.org .

The Montreal International Musical Competition announces the names of the 3 winners of the 2009 Voice Edition:

First Prize* $30,000Angela MEADE, soprano, United States

Second Prize $15,000 Yannick-Muriel NOAH, soprano, Canada

Third Prize $10,000Andrew GARLAND, baritone, United States

*The Competitionĺ─˘s First prize includes a recording with the Canadian record label Analekta.

These three singers will appear in the Winnersĺ─˘ Gala Concert this Thursday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Thłęłótre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts, with the special participation of mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne and tenor Joseph Kaiser. Under the direction of Alain Trudel, the Orchestre Młętropolitain will accompany the winners. The concertĺ─˘s exact musical programme will be announced shortly.

The names of the winners of the Special Awards will be revealed on Thursday, May 28, during the official awards ceremony preceding the Gala Concert.

Espace musique, official broadcasterRadio-Canadaĺ─˘s music radio network, Espace musique, is proud to be the official broadcaster of the Montreal International Musical Competition. Following is the broadcast schedule for the various rounds of the competition on Espace musique (100.7 FM in Montreal) and the Espace classique website Radio-Canada.ca/musique

Wednesday, May 27 at 8 pm:Les soirłęes classiques, a whole show devoted to the laureates of the MIMC 2009. Programme includes a broadcast of the recital given by the 1st Prize winner during the Semi-final round. Host: Sylvia Lĺ─˘łÔcuyer | Producer: Michł«le Patry.

Wednesday, July 1 at 8 pm:La radio des festivals, excerpts from the Final round with the Orchestre Młętropolitain, conducted by Alain Trudel. Executive Producer: Guylaine Picard

Remember that the Final round was broadcast live on Radio-Canadaĺ─˘s Espace musique (100.7 FM in Montreal) with host Sylvia L'łÔcuyer and commentator Fabrizio Melano, and will be available online on Espace classique starting May 29. The video concerts of the Semi-Finals will also be posted for one year on Espace classique, Espace musiqueĺ─˘s Web Radio, at www.radio-canada.ca/musique

In addition to these live broadcasts, the Final round will be heard internationally, thanks to Radio-Canadaĺ─˘s partnership with the European Broadcasting Union. Starting May 19, follow Espace classiqueĺ─˘s competition blog and webcasts at Radio-Canada.ca/musique

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

NAC announces Summer Music at the National Arts Centre

Summer Music at the NAC includes

Orchestras in the Park, visiting orchestras and repertoire readings, and everything is FREE!

The National Arts Centre today announced details of Summer Music at the NAC, a line-up that includes four Orchestras in the Park concerts outdoors in LeBreton Flats Park presented in collaboration with the National Capital Commission; concerts by the lĺ─˘Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne led by Pinchas Zukerman and Jean-Philippe Tremblay, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada led by Alain Trudel; Canada Day concerts and activities; plus a series of three ĺ─˙Repertoire Readingsĺ─¨ of new music by Canadian composers. All concerts are free, though some require tickets that can be picked up in person at the NAC Box Office.

Summer at the NAC also features the unveiling of the new Le Cafłę menu by Chef Michael Blackie.

From July 23 to 26 at 7:30 pm, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will present its third season of Orchestras in the Park in collaboration with the National Capital Commission in the special outdoor performance space developed at LeBreton Flats Park in front of the Canadian War Museum. Each of the four concerts will be preceded by a KidsZone of activities for youngsters.

Orchestras in the Park begins on Thursday, July 23 with the NAC Orchestra performing ĺ─˙Classics and Kuertisĺ─¨ featuring renowned Ottawa favourite Anton Kuerti at the piano with his son Julian Kuerti (associate conductor of the Boston Symphony, and an alumnus of the NAC Conductors Program) on the podium. This concert also features trumpet player Amy Horvey, this yearĺ─˘s recipient of the Richard Li Young Artist Chair, performing the Hummel Trumpet Concerto.

In ĺ─˙Opera Under the Starsĺ─¨ on Friday, July 24, conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni leads the NAC Orchestra, soprano Erin Wall, baritone James Westman, and tenor Antonio Figueroaĺ─ý three sensational Canadian singers ĺ─ý infavourite arias from The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and more, joined by the Opera Lyra Ottawa Chorus directed by Laurence Ewashko.

On Saturday, July 25, the electrifying Natalie MacMaster, Cape Bretonĺ─˘s fiddling, step-dancing and vocal sensation, guarantees to have the audience on its feet cheering her and the NAC Orchestra in a night of Celtic delights with Jean-Marie Zeitouni once again on the podium.

Orchestras in the Park concludes on Sunday, July 26, when the Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne takes over the outdoor stage in ĺ─˙Beethovenĺ─˘s Fifthsĺ─¨ led by Music Director Jean-Philippe Tremblay and featuring pianist Hong Xu , the 2006 Laureate of the Honens International Piano Competition. Beethovenĺ─˘s ĺ─˙Emperorĺ─¨ Piano Concerto No. 5 is followed by Beethovenĺ─˘s mighty Fifth Symphony!

Orchestras in the Park concerts are free with no tickets required.

To kick off the month of July, visit the National Arts Centre for Canada Day festivities taking place all day long on Wednesday, July 1, including a massed choral performance by Unisong at 10 a.m. in Southam Hall and one concert by the NAC Orchestra led by Pinchas Zukerman at 2:30 p.m. featuring both the Unisong Choir and musicians of the NAC Young Artists Program, part of the Summer Music Institute .

The Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne will also pay a visit to Southam Hall on Thursday, July 2 with two more Beethoven symphonies and a piano concerto to coincide with the Orchestraĺ─˘s summer recording project of all nine Beethoven symphonies. Jean-Philippe Tremblay will open the program with Beethovenĺ─˘s Symphony No. 1. Then Pinchas Zukerman, Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra will lead 14-year-old Calgary piano prodigy Jan Lisiecki in Beethovenĺ─˘s Piano Concerto No. 3 and close the program with Beethovenĺ─˘s Second Symphony.

On Tuesday, July 28, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada led by Alain Trudel makes its annual visit to the Capital. The program consists of Rob Teehanĺ─˘s Dreams of Flying, a new work commissioned by the NYOC, Haydnĺ─˘s Symphony No. 96 and Mahlerĺ─˘s Symphony No. 6.

Tickets for both the Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada are free and can be picked up in person at the NAC Box Office.

And on July 7, 8 and 9, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will offer its services to four composers for ĺ─˙Repertoire Readingsĺ─¨ of original works. These sessions, conducted by the NAC Composers Program Lead Composer Gary Kulesha, will take place in the NAC Rehearsal Hall and are open to the public, no tickets required, as long as space is available.

There are also numerous public concerts presented as part of the eleventh annual NAC Summer Music Institute during the month of June. These have been announced separately.

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY'S 2008/09 SEASON REACHES OVER 99% CAPACITY

The Canadian Opera Company is pleased to announce a third consecutive year with an average attendance of 99.7%, proving that demand for opera tickets remains high.Celebrating its third season in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the COC's 2008/09 season included seven mainstage productions: Don Giovanni, War and Peace, Fidelio, Rusalka, Simon Boccanegra, La Bohł«me, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The 2008/09 season subscriptions were strong at close to 95,000 tickets sold with gross revenue of almost $10 million. In total, 132,000 patrons attended 64 COC performances, with overall ticket-related revenue grossing almost $13.9 million. Even an expanded run (12 performances) of La Bohł«me sold over 9,500 single tickets, over and above the heavy subscription base.

For every COC performance, one hundred and fifty $20 tickets are available through the company's Opera for a New Age (OFNA) program, presented by TD Bank Financial Group. In 2008/09, 9,400

$20 tickets were sold through OFNA.

"The COC's 2008/09 season surpassed my expectations as I fully realized the satisfaction of leading a company of such great success and potential," says General Director Alexander Neef. "Even though this difficult economic climate has brought us unexpected challenges, our mainstage season finished over 99% capacity, which must be the highest rate for an opera company in North America. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without our loyal subscribers and generous donors, and we remain immensely grateful for their support. We wouldn't be here without them."

The COC's 2008/09 season began with Mozart's Don Giovanni, which had "a truly impressive cast of singers" (Toronto Sun), and continued with "the theatrical highpoint of the year," Prokofiev's War and Peace, (Eye Weekly) conducted by Johannes Debus who, shortly afterwards, was appointed the COC's new Music Director. The winter run opened with Beethoven's "beautifully presented" (BlogTO) Fidelio, followed by Dvoë˘ł░k's "not to be missed" (Classical 96.3) Rusalka. Running in repertory during the spring run were Verdi's Simon Boccanegra hailed "a five-star 'must see'" (Here and Now, CBC Radio), Puccini's La Bohł«me, considered "necessary viewing for the [Toronto] opera crowd" (National Post), and Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a "delight to both ear and eye" (Hamilton Spectator).

Three of the mainstage productions were generously supported by corporate sponsors: RBC Financial Group for Don Giovanni, CIBC World Markets and CIBC Mellon for La Bohł«me, and National Bank

Houston Grand Opera Announces Men's Chorus Auditions

The Houston Grand Opera Association announces chorus auditions for its 2009-2010 season. Auditions will be held at the WorthamTheaterCenter, 510 Preston on:

MEN ONLY

Monday, June 8, 2009 6:00 PM ĺ─ý 10:00 PM

The Houston Grand Opera Chorus is a professional group of diverse men and women of all professions and backgrounds. Choristers rehearse weekday evenings and weekends for each repertory period. In the 2009-2010 season, a new chorister could earn $2000.00 per production.

The 2009-2010 season productions in which the chorus will participate are:

The Elixir of Love

Lohengrin

Tosca

The Queen of Spades

Xerxes

Auditions should include two arias of contrasting style, tempo, in original language, and by memory. Operatic repertoire is preferred, but standard oratorio selections will be accepted. Sight reading may be requested. The HGO will provide an accompanist, but singers are required to bring their own music.

Singers who wish to arrange an audition should contact the Houston Grand Opera Rehearsal Department at (713) 980-8679.

Two RCM Students Win at The TSO National Piano Competition

Alexander Seredenko and Samuel Deason, two students of The Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, won prizes at The Toronto Symphony Orchestra National Piano Competition, held at The Royal Conservatory between May 22 and 24, 2009. This prestigious piano competition is a biennial event and attracts Canada's finest young pianists between the ages of 16 and 25. Created to foster young talent, the competition has been a project of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Committee for over 20 years. Previous winners include acclaimed virtuoso Stewart Goodyear and rising star Todd Yaniw, both of whom are alumni of The Royal Conservatory.

Alexander Seredenko, currently pursuing his performance diploma in piano at The Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School in Toronto, under the instruction of Dean James Anagnoson, won The Roy Thomson Hall First Prize of $8,000 and a future performance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. No stranger to competitions, Alexander received first place at the annual Canadian National Competition in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Following these awards, and many local competitions in and around Ontario, he obtained first standing in several international piano competitions, including most recently the 2008 Hamamatsu Piano Academy Competition. On February 20, 2009, he appeared in concert with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra under TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian, in a progamme of Ravel, Tchaikovsky, and Elgar.

Samuel Deason, a piano student of Marc Durand, also at The Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, won The Victor Feldbrill Prize of $500 for best performance of a Canadian work. Most recently, Samuel also won the $500 Mary Winston Smail Piano award as well as a $3,500 scholarship to the Madeline Island Music Camp at the 53rd annual WAMSO (Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association) Young Artist Competition.

The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory is an internationally recognized centre for professional training in music performance and pedagogy at the post-secondary and post-bachelor levels. The School provides an intimate training environment with a curriculum designed to prepare the most gifted young musicians for all aspects of a professional career. An enrolment of 130 students keeps classes small, students receive more private lesson time, and are offered more than 150 master classes, in addition to between 80 and 100 performance opportunities throughout the year. The faculty consists of world-renowned performers, teachers, and scholars, each bringing expertise and knowledge of the highest standards to Glenn Gould students. Famous alumni include Isabel Bayrakdarian, Naida Cole, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. The Glenn Gould School has been designated a National Training Institute by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

A groundbreaking production in form and content, VIVA CONFUSION is a docu-comedy that fuses psychiatric doctor/patient relations and multi-disciplinary Montreal Asian artists performances.

The play will feature documentary footage of interviews with `real lifeĺ─˘ Asian-Canadians by descent or affiliation around the topics of cultural confusion such as identity, assimilation and allegiance. Dr.Agashe will weave his counseling with a creative presentation of dance, music and comedy with a distinct East meets West flair.

Dr Agashe, a well-travelled psychiatrist with an impressive resume as a thespian and actor from India, a country with many cultural complexities, is perfectly suited to comment on the experiences of migration and effective coping mechanisms. He will be joined by a mosaic of Montreal talents such as Cecilia Cristobal (Miss Oriented, The Tuxedo) as a spirited anchorwoman, and renowned jazz bassist, Alex Bellegarde as a musical liaison between the jazz community and our Asian counterparts.

Monday, May 25, 2009

The VSO Presents the legendary Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey together for the first time in Vancouver

Recognized as one of the most beloved musical figures of our time, the great mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade (affectionately known as ĺ─˛Flickaĺ─˘ worldwide to her friends, family and legions of fans) makes her VSO debut teamed up with Samuel Ramey, the worldĺ─˘s foremost operatic bass-baritone. In aconcert for the ages, these two extraordinary artists at the peak of their careers perform music by Berlioz, Boito, Offenbach, Copland and Gershwin. Maestro Bramwell Tovey conducts.

ĺ─˙Even if she were not one of the great singers of our dayĺ─ÂFrederica von Stade could probably draw a full house of people eager just to be in her presence.ĺ─¨

-San Francisco Chronicle

ĺ─˙Rameyĺ─˘s singing is the stuff of which operatic legends are made.ĺ─¨

The New York Post

A once-in-a-lifetime concert event, this evening will be a pairing of legendary artists the likes of which Lower Mainland audiences have never before seen: two of the greatest musicians of this or any era, on stage together with Maestro Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for one very special evening only.

The łÔditions du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles has just published sheet music by Rigel, one of the most innovative composers of instrumental music in the late 18th century in France, especially in his beautiful symphonies. These lovely piano quartets, of moderate difficulty, balance the playing of all instruments. The musical forces required will interest chamber music players in particular: the work was originally composed in 1778, the same year than Mozart was twice in Paris when he was 20.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Laitman's Early Snow in Rising Soprano's Carnegie Debut June 18

Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of art song. She has composed nearly 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets. Her cycle, Early Snow, to three poems by Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver, will be presented as part of a program celebrating American song by rising American soprano Courtney Huffman in her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall on June 18, 2009.

The cycle, commissioned by Dr. Adelaide Whitaker for soprano Jennifer Check, was completed by Laitman in 2003 and saw its premiere at the Juilliard School of Music in April 2003. It was released on Laitman's CD "Becoming a Redwood" in 2006 on the Albany Records label.

The poetry of Mary Oliver, in the words of Steve Brockman and John Campbell of Artsong Update online magazine "...has a psychological subtlety rarely found in romantic poets of the past. These poems... are about being fully alive in this moment and open to present experience." The poems in this cycle reflect on nature, and in speaking about these settings, Laitman says: "My goal in all settings is the primacy of the text. This means that meters shift constantly to follow the natural rhythms of the poem, melodies are structured to emphasize the most important words in a phrase, tempos are flexible and harmonies change to color the emotional content. In this way, every word in every poem is bound inextricably to the music."

Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman's music has been performed frequently in the U.S. and abroad. Some recent US venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; and The USC Fisher Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Her discography also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians.

Laitman recently completed her first full-length opera, "The Scarlet Letter," to poet David Mason's new libretto, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary masterpiece. The opera was commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas and premiered on November 6, 2008 to critical acclaim. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote of the opera: "Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama...the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective."

Early Snow will be performed by soprano Courtney Huffman, the 2008 NATS Artist Award winner, in a program of works by American composers Dominick Argento, Irving Berlin, Tom Cipullo, George Gershwin, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lee Hoiby, Charles Ives, Lori Laitman and Libby Larsen. A consummate vocalist, Huffman made her professional operatic debut to critical acclaim in June 2008 with the Intimate Opera Company of Pasadena, California, as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. She reprised the role with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra in February 2009 and tackled the demanding role of Teutile in Vivaldi's Motezuma with the Long Beach Opera in 2009 to rave reviews. The soprano made her international debut in Shanghai and Hong-Kong in 2006, followed by a performance of Dalbavie's Sextine Cyclus at the Aspen Music Festival. Her repertoire includes Betty in Lowell Liebermann's Miss Lonelyhearts, Frasquita in Carmen, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, Drusilla in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Johanna in Sweeney Todd. She has appeared with the Aspen Opera Theater Center, USC Thornton School of Music Opera, and the Illinois Opera Theatre, among others. Courtney Huffman is scheduled to perform a winner's recital at the NATS National Convention in Salt Lake City, UT in July 2010.

Espace musique, official broadcasterRadio-Canadaĺ─˘s music radio network, Espace musique, is proud to be the official broadcaster of the Montreal International Musical Competition. Following is the broadcast schedule for the various rounds of the competition on Espace musique (100.7 FM in Montreal) and the Espace classique website Radio-Canada.ca/musique

Monday, May 25 and Tuesday, May 26 at 7 pm: Live broadcast of the Final round. Host: Sylvia Lĺ─˘łÔcuyer Commentator: Fabrizio Melano Producer: Michele Patry. Online at Espace classique starting May 29.

Wednesday, May 27 at 8 pm:Les soirłęes classiques, a whole show devoted to the laureates of the MIMC 2009. Programme includes a broadcast of the recital given by the 1st Prize winner during the Semi-final round. Host: Sylvia Lĺ─˘łÔcuyer Producer: Michł«le Patry.

Saturday, May 30 at 1 pm : on CBC Radio 2 (93.5 FM in Montreal) and on the Internet at www.cbc.ca/radio2:Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, a 4-hour special programme of MIMC Voice 2009 highlights. Host: Bill Richardson Producers: Matthew McFarlane and Kelly Rice Executive Producer: Denise Ball Production Assistant: Hayley Lapalme

Wednesday, July 1 at 8 pm:La radio des festivals, excerpts from the Final round with the Orchestre Młętropolitain, conducted by Alain Trudel. Executive Producer: Guylaine Picard

In addition to these live broadcasts, the Final round will be heard internationally, thanks to Radio-Canadaĺ─˘s partnership with the European Broadcasting Union. Starting May 19, follow Espace classiqueĺ─˘s competition blog and webcasts at Radio-Canada.ca/musique

Friday, May 22, 2009

Mahler's Monumental Sixth Symphony

In the final Masterworks Gold concert of the Symphony Season, Maestro Bramwell Tovey leads the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Schubertĺ─˘s beautiful Ballet Music from Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus and Mahlerĺ─˘s monumental masterpiece Symphony No. 6. Concerts take place on Saturday, June 6th and Monday, June 8th at 8pm at the Orpheum Theatre.

Franz Schubert composed the incidental music for Rosamunde, Princess of Cypress, a play by the eccentric German playwright Helmina von Chłęzy, in 1823. The score includes an overture, entrĺ─˘actes, ballet music, choruses, and a romance for soprano. The play was so bad that it was pulled from production after two performances, and only the vocal numbers were published during Schubertĺ─˘s lifetime. The orchestral selections dropped from sight until 1867, when English musicians Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir George Grove made a pilgrimage to Vienna, specifically in search of forgotten nuggets of Schubertiana. We have them to thank for this enchanting musicĺ─˘s survival and its entry into the repertoire.

Gustav Mahler began his Sixth Symphony during the summer of 1903, completing it a year later. This was one of the most idyllic periods of his life: his fame as a conductor reached its apex; regular and well-received performances of his music were taking place across Europe; and the companionship of his wife Alma and their two daughters was giving him great joy. Yet the music he was writing represents an enormous gulf between reality and his creative world. Symphony No. 6 is a sombre, even tragic work. It turned out to be a disturbingly prophetic one, as well.

Regarding the Symphony, Alma Mahler wrote in her memoirs, ĺ─˙In the last movement he describes himself and his downfall; or, as he later said: ĺ─˛It is the hero, on whom falls three blows of fate, the last of which fells him as a tree is felled.ĺ─˘ On him too fell three blows of fate, and the last felled him.ĺ─¨ This refers to the events of 1907: the death of their older daughter Maria of diphtheria and smallpox, aged four-and-a-half; Mahlerĺ─˘s being driven from his job as Music Director of the Vienna State Opera; and the diagnosis of his life-threatening case of heart disease. To represent these ĺ─˙blows of fate,ĺ─¨ Mahler included a hammer in the orchestration of the Sixth Symphonyĺ─˘s finale. The sound he wanted from it wasnĺ─˘t clangourous and steely, but a non-metallic thud, ĺ─˙like an axe stroke.ĺ─¨

ĺ─˙But at the time he was serene; he was conscious of the greatness of his work,ĺ─¨ Alma continued. ĺ─˙None of his works came as directly from his innermost heart as this one. The music and what it foretold touched us so deeply.ĺ─¨ The first performance took place on May 27, 1906, in Essen, under the composerĺ─˘s direction. According to Alma, ĺ─˙Out of shame and anxiety he did not conduct the symphony well. He hesitated to bring out the dark omen behind this terrible last movement.ĺ─¨

Mahler later made changes to the symphonyĺ─˘s orchestration, the most important of them the deletion of the last of the three hammer blows. He superstitiously feared it might hasten the arrival of the disaster that it predicted for him. He also harbored some uncertainty about the sequence of the inner movements. On every occasion that he conducted it, the sequence was Andante first, followed by the Scherzo. The symphony was published with that order reversed, but Mahler didnĺ─˘t authorize this. The critical edition of his complete works that is sanctioned by the International Gustav Mahler Society uses the Andante/Scherzo sequence.

Mahler gave the Sixth Symphony the subtitle Tragic. In overall terms it is an appropriate designation. Yet it is only in the Finale that the workĺ─˘s catastrophic nature becomes clear. The opening movement contrasts a menacing, march-like subject with a passionate second melody. Alma recalled, ĺ─˙After he had drafted the first movement, he came down from the forest to tell me he had tried to express me a theme. ĺ─˙Whether Iĺ─˘ve succeeded I donĺ─˘t know; but youĺ─˘ll have to put up with it.ĺ─˘ This is the great, soaring theme of the first movement of the Sixth Symphony.ĺ─¨ In the middle comes a peaceful interlude, atmospherically coloured with the sound of cowbells (Mahler may have included them as a recollection of his happy youth in central Europe. They will be heard again in the Andante and Finale). The ĺ─˙Almaĺ─¨ theme crowns the movement triumphantly.

The slow movement is a serene, gorgeously melodious lullaby. The climax, in contrast, is a searing outpouring of emotion. ĺ─˙In the Scherzo, he represented the un-rhythmic games of the two children, tottering in zigzags over the sand,ĺ─¨ Alma wrote. ĺ─˙Ominously the childish voices become more and more tragic, and at the end die out in a whimper.ĺ─¨ This is one of the bitterest and most bizarrely scored scherzos in any Mahler symphony.

The colossal, overwhelming Finale opens with an eerie, unsettling introduction in slow tempo. The movement proper is restless and striving. It consists of a series of waves of vigorous activity, each of which is crowned catastrophically by one of the hammer blows of fate. There is no recovery from the third and final climax. The music, its tragic destiny fulfilled, subsides into utter darkness.

The announcement of the 8 finalists will be made following the last Semi-Final session on Saturday, May 23. The announcement of the laureates will be made following the last final session on Tuesday, May 26.The complete musical programme of each round is available at www.concoursmontreal.ca

Espace musique, official broadcasterRadio-Canadaĺ─˘s music radio network, Espace musique, is proud to be the official broadcaster of the Montreal International Musical Competition. Following is the broadcast schedule for the various rounds of the competition on Espace musique (100.7 FM in Montreal) and the Espace classique website (Radio-Canada.ca/musique):

- Wednesday, May 27 at 8 pm: Les soirłęes classiques, a whole show devoted to the laureates of the MIMC 2009. Programme includes a broadcast of the recital given by the 1st Prize winner during the Semi-final round. Host: Sylvia Lĺ─˘łÔcuyer | Producer: Michł«le Patry.

- Wednesday, July 1 at 8 pm: La radio des festivals, excerpts from the Final round with the Orchestre Młętropolitain, conducted by Alain Trudel. Executive Producer: Guylaine Picard

In addition to these live broadcasts, the Final round will be heard internationally, thanks to Radio-Canadaĺ─˘s partnership with the European Broadcasting Union. Starting May 19, follow Espace classiqueĺ─˘s competition blog and webcasts at Radio-Canada.ca/musique

Lorraine Klaasen, eclectic performer extraordinaire, and her mother - Thandie Klaasen, South African legend and one of Mandelaĺ─˘s favourite singers, will perform together for one night only, performing classic Township music for what will certainly be an inspired evening to remember!

PSO Holds Series of Community Events for 2008-09 Season Finale

To celebrate the close of Robert Moody's inaugural season, the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) showcases Rites and Rhythms, the season finale concert event, with a series of community events June 6 through 9.

Saturday, June 6 ĺ─ý 4:30-6:00 p.m.Musically Speaking ĺ─ý Museum of African Culture, PortlandThe PSO will present a Musically Speaking event at the Museum of African Culture located at 13 Brown Street in Portland. Maestro Moody will speak about the Symphony's June 9 concert and why he chose that program to end the season. One of the PSO guest drummers for that concert, Mark Sunkett, will offer instrument demonstrations and speak about Senegalese drumming. Chief Oscar Mokeme, founder and director of the Museum of African Culture, will discuss the country and culture of Senegal. Musically Speaking is a series of insightful discussions with PSO artists in various venues throughout the community for all ages.

The Museum of African Culture is a not-for-profit organization created to educate through the use of art, music, storytelling, films, poetry, literature, healing ceremonies and other Sub-Saharan African cultural traditions; to interpret and preserve a unique collection of African art and artifacts; and to enrich the communities of Maine and beyond through the celebration of diversity. This event is open to the public with a $5 suggested donation to the museum.

Monday, June 8 ĺ─ý 10:00-11:00 a.m.Meet the Maestro/Meet the Musicians ĺ─ý King Middle School, PortlandThe PSO presents Meet the Maestro/Meet the Musicians at King Middle School, 92 Deering Avenue in Portland. Robert Moody and guest artists Mark Sunkett and Sonja Branch will give an in-school performance with instrument demonstrations and answer student questions. Maestro Moody will speak about the artists and the piece they, along with the PSO, will play at the open dress rehearsal that evening.

King Middle School serves the most racially, ethnically, and economically diverse neighborhoods in the state of Maine. More than 120 of King's approximately 500 students speak 28 languages and come from 17 countries.

Monday, June 8 ĺ─ý 7:30 p.m.Open Dress Rehearsal ĺ─ý Merrill Auditorium, PortlandStudents of all ages are invited to attend an open dress rehearsal for the Tuesday, June 9 season finale concert. For reservations, which are required, call (207) 773-6128 ext. 308 or email hklenow@portlandsymphony.com.

Tuesday, June 9 ĺ─ý 7:30 p.m.PSO Season Finale Concert, "Rites and Rhythms" ĺ─ý Merrill Auditorium, PortlandThe PSO Rites and Rhythms concert will feature the virtuosity of the Portland Symphony Orchestra's members and a unique "sonic travelogue" uniting symphony orchestra with African drumming and dancing. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9 at Merrill Auditorium (20 Myrtle St.) with a Concert Conversation led by Maestro Moody, Mark Sunkett and Oscar Mokeme at 6:15 p.m. A brief post-concert Q & A with Moody and Sunkett will immediately follow the concert. A radio broadcast of the performance can be heard on Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) on July 29 at 8:00 p.m.

Rites and Rhythms is sponsored by JetBlue Airways and generously underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Glickman. The PSO's performance of Sabar is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets for the PSO Season Finale Concert range from $17-$65 and are sold through PortTix at (207) 842-0800 or www.porttix.com. Phone and internet orders are subject to $5-per-ticket handling fees. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office at 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. For complete season information, including artist biographies and program notes, visit www.portlandsymphony.com

Largest Online Classical Music Site Offers Exclusive Access to Maria Jołúo Pires'

New Deutsche GrammophonCD And Free Musical History Tours Covering Four Periods

The Classical Archives (www.classicalarchives.com), which is bringing online classical music shopping, listening and enjoyment into the 21st century, is celebrating its launch with an exclusive album launch from acclaimed pianist Maria Jołúo Pires and a series of free 1-click musical history concerts for all visitors. The site is the most complete classical music resource on the Internet with over 620,000 recorded tracks (building to over 1 million!) representing 6,600 composers, 21,000 artists and 100+ record labels representing a unique blend of the majors and independent labels.

Until June 2, the classical archives is the only place fans can purchase the newest album byMaria Jołúo Pires. Widely recognized as one of the most brilliant pianists of the last forty years, Pires is celebrating her 20th anniversary as a Deutsche Grammophon exclusive recording artist with an all-new, 2-CD release devoted entirely to the works of Chopin. This long-awaited recital includes the formidable Third Sonata, the cello sonata with cellist Pavel Gomziakov and a variety of smaller works, all composed during the last years of Chopin's life. This new recording, Pires's first in over four years, is available exclusively for download and streaming from Classical Archives.

Pierre R. Schwob, CEO and Founder, notes, "We are honored to be able to bring this stunning new Deutsche Grammophon album from Maria Jołúo Pires exclusively to our users. This is the caliber of artist exclusive that visitors to and members of The Classical Archives can expect to enjoy in the months and years ahead. We are working with all of the major labels and many exclusive independents to ensure that we are the ultimate destination for classical music online."

Roll Up For The Musical History Tour

As part of the launch, the site is inviting all visitors to enjoy a free special four-part series featuring essential pieces of Classical Music, from the early 17th to the present. Each "1-Click ConcertĺĐó" is about two hours long, and is devoted to a major period of music history: Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern. The first three concerts are generously sponsored by major classical labels: Baroque (UMG), Classical (EMI), and Romantic (SonyBMG), while the Modern concert features recordings from our independent roster of talented artists. A Modern concert featuring recordings from the Naxos label is forthcoming.

These great works are performed by an assembly of preeminent artists from the major labels: Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, EMI, Angel, Sony, RCA, as well as our outstanding roster of independent artists. We salute the labels for this generous offering to the Classical Archives community.

Each program is introduced by some brief commentary to acquaint the newcomer to classical music with some guidelines and important considerations, as they enjoy these musical tours.

Schwob notes that the free concerts are indicative of the site's dedication to expanding the understanding of musical history and learning. "The Classical Archives site offers a wealth of learning for newcomers and aficionados alike. We provide detailed musicological information for each work: its proper movements and subdivisions, genre, principal instruments, year of composition, and key. Users can then easily compare various recordings of a given work, each identified in a proper and consistent manner ĺ─ý something not possible with any other site. "

The just launched site offers a breakthrough in site navigation that will be welcomed by anyone who has ever shopped for music online. The proprietary navigation and search engine capability that lets visitors search and cross-reference by any relevant criteria: composer, work title, artist, albums, historical period, instrument, genre, and many others that make finding and comparing the best classical recordings easier than it has ever been.

In addition to albums from major labels such as DG/Decca, Angel/EMI/Virgin, Sony/Columbia, and 100+ more, the site offers a large collection of free streaming tracks from its own roster of world-class talents. The company's ultimate goal is to offer the complete catalogs of all classical music record labels, as well as independent classical artists in DRM-free format, and to identify the recordings in a proper, consistent, and easily searchable form. Classical Archives will always allow users to keep their downloads for life: they are not tied to any conditions such as staying in a subscription program.

The new Classical Archives offers unique membership opportunities that allow users to take advantage of its vast resources easily and affordably. Fees are $9.95/month or $99.50/year. Benefits include the ability to listen to music from the whole site (entire tracks or works); a 10% discount on all downloads (which are yours to keep for life!); the first two weeks as a free trial of the service; the ability to access and download MIDI files free of charge.

Free registered members also enjoy great benefits: the ability to listen to any music clips (30-60 seconds); the ability to purchase downloads; and the ability to access and download MIDI files.

KINGS PLACE 'This is Tuesday/TI4U' present MUSIC AND MACHINES 2 JUNE 2009, 8.00pm

Curated by leading contemporary pianist, Sarah Nicolls (London Sinfonietta, WARP's Alexander's Annexe), Sonatas, Pianos, Machines and Interludes is a night of machine-like pianos and piano-like machines, building on the legacy of extended technique and Cage's experiments into prepared piano. Each idiosyncratic instrument, encompassing the hybrid, the automated and the inside out, has been lovingly developed by its creator/performer, all of whom bring their invention to life in an evening of music on a spectrum from the lyrical to the mechanical.

Featuring German improviser and composer Andrea Neumann, working between electronic and handmade sounds, technical wunderkind Felix's Machines, interdisciplinary artist Kathy Hinde, Sarah Nicolls and the dazzlingly beautiful Piano Baschet-Malbos following its sold out appearance at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

2009 Shean Strings Competition Results

EDMONTON NATIVE TAKES $8,000 TOP PRIZE

Edmonton, AB ĺ─ý On Friday, May 15, 2009 ĺ─ý after two days of amazing competition ĺ─ý Ewald Cheung, violin (19 years old), from Edmonton, AB, was awarded the $8,000 top prize in The Shean Strings Competition. He has also won the opportunity to play with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at a future date. Ewald was one of 6 finalists chosen from a field of 24 entries from across Canada to compete in the 2009 Shean Strings Competition on May 14 and 15.

The complete results of the Competition were as follows:

First Place and $8,000 ĺ─ý Ewald Cheung, violin

Second Place and $5,000 ĺ─ý Alissa Cheung, violin

Third Place and $4,000 ĺ─ý Aaron Schwebel, violin

Fourth Place and $3,000 ĺ─ý Emily Westell, violin

Fifth Place and $2,000 ĺ─ý Meghan Nenniger, violin

Sixth Place and $1,000 ĺ─ý Wook (Luke) Young Kim, violoncello

Ewald Cheung also won $1,000 for the Best Performance of the Test Piece ĺ─ý Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16 in g minor by Henryk Wieniawski.

The adjudicators for this yearĺ─˘s competition were David Hoyt, Chair; David Colwell, violin; Jack Mendelsohn, violoncello and Brian Finley, piano.

The 2010 Shean Piano Competition takes place in Edmonton on May 20 and 21, 2010 in Edmonton with an $8,000 top prize and $1,000 prize for best performance of the test piece.

Ontario Government Invests in the Shaw Theatre Festival

The Shaw Theatre Festivalĺ─˘s marketing initiatives received a boost today with an $800,000 investment from the Ontario Government. Not only will the funding enhance The Shawĺ─˘s marketing strategies, it will also support the creation of new tourism experiences that will benefit the entire Niagara region.

Responding to the funding news, Colleen Blake, Executive Director of the Shaw Festival, said, ĺ─˙Ontarioĺ─˘s investment helps the Shaw Festival reach new audiences seeking outstanding cultural tourism experiences. This support helps the Shaw Festival ĺ─ý one of North Americaĺ─˘s most celebrated theatre companies ĺ─ý widen its awareness and that of the Niagara Region as a definite must-see destination.ĺ─¨

A portion of this welcomed investment in The Shaw, approximately $500,000, will be earmarked to support a marketing campaign aimed at key Canadian and U.S. markets, thereby attracting new audiences and increasing the number of visitors to The Shaw and the Niagara region. The remaining $300,000, from the Ministryĺ─˘s Celebrate Ontario Program, will be used to support a live concert headlined by Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman. Entitled An Enchanted Evening, the concert will feature a selection of songs from The Shawĺ─˘s mandate and will be taped for broadcast onthe Bravo! network.

The Ontario Governmentĺ─˘s investment will have a ripple effect on the entire regional tourism economy by drawing new visitors, encouraging more overnight stays, and increasing tourism spending. A recent survey indicates that every dollar spent at The Shaw translates into over $5 of spending within the Niagara Region.

The 2008 survey shows approximately 42,000 visitors or 24,000 out-of-town tourists are estimated to have attended one or more plays during the Shaw Festivalĺ─˘s season, spending approximately $37.7 million on tourism activities and services in Ontario, of which more than eighty percent or about $30.7 million was spent in the Regional Municipality of Niagara (Census Division 3526).

The Shaw Theatre Festivalĺ─˘s attendance reached 281,000 in 2008; an increase of 6% over the previous year. Visitors from Canada made up 59.3%, while 40.3% came from the U.S. and 0.4% from overseas.

The Shaw Festivalĺ─˘s 24,000 out-of-town visitors spent approximately $32.2 million. This spending generated about $29.6 million in total economic activity (GDP) across the province.

All jobs generated by visitors to the Shaw Festival yielded $19.1 million in wages and salaries province-wide in 2008. At the height of the season, the Shaw Theatre Festival employs approximately 600 employees.

The Shaw Festival is thrilled to announce the establishment of The Slaight Family Academy at the Shaw Festival. A transformational gift of $5 million from the Slaight Family will endow The Academy and sustain it long into the future.

The Academy at the Shaw Festival was formed in 1985 during the tenure of Allan Slaight, the Chair of the Board of Governors, and past Artistic Director Christopher Newton. Created to foster the growth of the Company, it began as an informal skills exchange among Company members. Under the leadership of the Shawĺ─˘s current Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, the Academy has retained the important function of skills exchange and mentoring, and has grown to become an enrichment centre for further developing artistsĺ─˘ skills. The Shaw is one of the few institutions in North America with a strong commitment to the training of theatre artists attached to a permanent acting ensemble.

For over 25 years The Slaight Family has had a profound impact on The Shaw Festival through their leadership and generosity. In addition to establishing The Academy with Christopher Newton in 1985, Allan Slaight served as a Board member at The Shaw from 1982 to 1988 and as Board Chair from 1985 to 1986. In addition, he and Newton founded The Shaw Boxing Evening, the largest charity fundraiser of its kind in the world, which has raised more than $5 million for The Shaw.

An exemplary leader and patron as well, Ada Slaight served on the Board from 1990 to 1998 as a Governor, National Governor and Honorary Governor.

The investment made by the Slaight family will be used in four ways. The Mandate Intensive, a new training initiative, will provide apprentice actors, and actors new to the Company with two weeks of immersion in the world of The Shawĺ─˘s mandate before the start of rehearsals, with classes in text, voice, and a detailed course in the ĺ─˙mannersĺ─¨ of the Mandate ĺ─ý information available virtually nowhere else. Training programs for the Acting Ensemble will be enriched including voice, dialogue, singing, movement and acting. At present the Shaw Festival and other theatre companies must recruit coaches from outside Canada. The Slaight gift will help The Shaw develop Canadian professional trainers through Apprentice Teacher positions in Voice and Dialect and Alexander Technique.

Finally, the Slaight gift will allow the Shaw Festival to establish The Shaw Theatre School, which will open in the fall of 2009. Drawing on The Shawĺ─˘s professional artists and resources, and augmented by other theatre instructors, The Shaw Theatre School will initially offer a ten-

On presenting the gift to The Shaw, Allan and Adaĺ─˘s son Gary Slaight said: ĺ─˙The Shaw Festival is an organization close to the heart of the Slaight family, one that my parents served with joy and commitment as Board members. Weĺ─˘re delighted to be part of the story of the Festival and to make this investment in The Shawĺ─˘s Academy.ĺ─¨

In announcing the Slaight Family gift, Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell said: ĺ─˙We are tremendously grateful for the Slaight Familyĺ─˘s generosity, and thrilled to be given this opportunity to enhance the programs of our renowned Academy.ĺ─¨

Shaw Festival Campaign Chair, Richard D. Falconer, acknowledged the Slaight Familyĺ─˘s generosity: ĺ─˙The Slaight Familyĺ─˘s magnanimous gift provides transformational leadership that is particularly critical during this period of economic difficulty. The gift supports the Shawĺ─˘s Festivalĺ─˘s campaign for the future - A Splendid Torch - a $20 million campaign to grow The Shawĺ─˘s endowment and other financial resources to a level that will allow The Shaw to create innovative theatre without compromise, unencumbered by financial constraints.ĺ─¨

Noł┤l Coward threesome kicks off 48th season of the Shaw Theatre Festival

Still Life, We Were Dancing and Hands Across the Sea, the trio of one-act delights from the pen of Noł┤l Coward, known collectively as Brief Encounters, launches the 48th season of the Shaw Theatre Festival. Four other productions also open this week: the Shavian Restoration romp In Good King Charles`s Golden Days: A True History That Never Happened; the Stephen Sondheim Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George; Eugene Oĺ─˘Neillĺ─˘s bittersweet love story A Moon for the Misbegotten; and Garson Kaninĺ─˘s classic social comedy Born Yesterday.

The Shaw Festivalĺ─˘s Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell joins The Shawĺ─˘s Board of Governors Chair Janet McKelvey and the rest of the Company in celebrating the launch of the season and says of this weekĺ─˘s events: ĺ─˙There is a real feeling of anticipation and excitement here at The Shaw as we launch our first five shows ĺ─ý glittering examples of this seasonĺ─˘s rich and varied playbill.ĺ─¨

NAC to mark its 40th birthday on June 2

Canada's National Arts Centre (NAC) will mark 40 years of unlimited possibilities on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, at 8 p.m., during a special, free celebration in the NAC's Southam Hall, featuringPinchas Zukerman and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, artists from The National Ballet of Canada, world renowned baritone Russell Braun and many more.

The 40th Anniversary Celebration will be co-hosted by Canadian ballet icon Veronica Tennant ĺ─ý who was among the first dancers to perform on the Southam Hall stage (then known as the Opera) ĺ─ý and playwright Michel Marc Bouchard, a longtime NAC collaborator and creator of Lilies (Les Feluettes), considered one of the major works of Canadian Theatre.

Tickets for the evening are free and have been distributed on a first-come-first-served basis to NAC subscribers as well as to the public at large through a special lottery, which was widely advertised in the media over the last few weeks. Dignitaries from the world of politics, the arts and business will also be in attendance.

For this special celebration, the audience will be transported back to the National Arts Centre's opening week in June 1969 when William Shakespeare's ballet adaptation of Romeo and Juliet ĺ─ý with music by Sergei Prokofiev and choreography by the legendary John Cranko ĺ─ý was performed for the very first time at the NAC by The National Ballet of Canada.

In fact, Romeo and Juliet, with its universally enduring themes of love and youth will be featured prominently throughout the June 2 celebration: Pinchas Zukerman will lead the NAC Orchestra in a rendition of Tchaikovsky's mesmerizing Overture to Romeo and Juliet; The National Ballet of Canada dancers Chan Hon Goh and Zdenek Konvalina will perform the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, one of the most beautiful pas de deux ever choreographed; and young Quebec actors Steve Gagnon and Alexandrine Warren will perform some of the most memorable scenes from the theatre adaptation of Romłęo et Juliette, conceived by Christian Lapointe and translated by Normand Chaurette.

Over the past four decades, the National Arts Centre has prided itself on celebrating and developing the very best artistic talent Canada has to offer. Therefore it is fitting that theJune 2 celebration will feature a work choreographed and performed by Matjash Mrozewski, one of the most exciting and original voices in the dance world today. It is also fitting that the orchestration for this work, called Bringing the Tiger Down from the Mountain II, was previously commissioned by the NAC from B.C. composer Alexina Louie. For this performance, Maestro Zukerman will lead the NAC Orchestra, featuring soloist Amanda Forsyth on the cello.

Other highlights of the 40th Anniversary Celebration include brilliant baritone Russell Braun, one of Canada's best operatic voices, who will perform Richard Wagner's O du mein holder Abendstern with the NAC Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Zukerman. There will also be a performance of Elgar's Salut d'amour, Opus 12, by the NAC Orchestra featuring Maestro Zukerman on violin, as well as a performance of a special monologue and of Bertold Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Bilbao Song by Gemini Award-winner Diane D'Aquila under the direction of NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Peter Hinton..

NACO 2009 Bursary Competition winners announced.

The National Arts Centre (NAC) has announced the winners of the 2009 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition following the finals held on Tuesday, May 19 in the NAC Salon. Eight finalists had been chosen from the 32 contestants heard in preliminary auditions held on May 16 and 17. The grand prize-winner of the 2009 NACO Bursary ($7,000) is Daniel Parker, cello (age 16).

This yearĺ─˘s winner of the Harold Crabtree Foundation Award of $5,000 is Antoine Malette-Chłęnier, harp (age 17). The Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award ($3,000) went to Lara Deutsch, flute (age 18), while Christopher Graham, trombone (age 22) won the NAC Vic Pomer Award ($2,000). The Piccolo Prix ($1,000) went to Denise Sun, bassoon (age 23). The NACO Special Prize for the best performance of prescribed orchestral excerpts went to Christopher Graham, trombone (age 22).

The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) Bursary Competition was first held in 1981. The NACO Bursary was created by the musicians of the NAC Orchestra as a gesture of appreciation to the audiences who had been so supportive to the Orchestra during its first decade. It is meant to provide recognition and financial support to help further the development of young Canadian orchestral musicians who have connections to the National Capital Region (NCR). In subsequent years thanks to the generosity of additional organizations and individuals, other prizes have been added for a total in 2009 of $18,750. These prizes, in addition to the NACO Bursary, are the Harold Crabtree Foundation Award, created in 2003 by this Foundation which strongly believes in the importance of helping young people; the Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award created in 1993 to celebrate the Orchestraĺ─˘s 25th anniversary season; the NAC Vic Pomer Award commemorating one of the founding violinists of NACO and a dedicated teacher who died in 2001 at age 70; the Piccolo Prix provided ĺ─˙to encourage and support our young artistsĺ─¨ by NAC volunteer and Donors Circle member Cav. Pasqualina Pat Adamo, and the NACO Special Prize for the best performance of prescribed orchestral excerpts.

All prizes are intended for music students aged 16 to 24 whose principal or family residence is in the National Capital Region, or who have been following a recognized course of music study in the NCR in the previous year in preparation for careers as professional orchestral musicians. Each year, a jury identifies deserving recipients through audition and selection.

Sneak Peek at Koerner Hall Inaugural Season

Mervon Mehta, Executive Director, RCM Performing Arts, is thrilled to reveal selections from the inaugural season of the country's most anticipated new concert venue, Koerner Hall, at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning.

Certain to become one of the world's great concert spaces, Koerner Hall will be an acoustically superb, 1135-seat venue, providing a unique audience experience for all genres of music. It will become a welcome home for internationally acclaimed artists, students from The Royal Conservatory, and many of Toronto's finest performing artists. Every seat in the new Koerner Hall has a completely unobstructed view of the stage creating an intimate atmosphere at every performance. TELUS is the official season sponsor of the inaugural Koerner Hall season.

"This first selection of Koerner Hall concerts crosses many musical genres," notes Mehta. "What they all have in common is their high quality. These artists will reveal Koerner Hall's amazing acoustics while also reflecting The Royal Conservatory's commitment to the world's finest performing artists. I look forward to welcoming Toronto audiences to hear some of their favorite musicians but, perhaps more importantly, to introduce them to new and exciting talent and repertoire. In the coming months we will also be announcing several pre and post concert events featuring our students and faculty and the best musicians on the local scene."

The Canadian and international superstars who will headline the inaugural season at Koerner Hall include Jane Bunnett, Gerald Finley, Jon Kimura Parker, Max Raabe, Midori, Yuja Wang, and Pinchas Zukerman. More concerts announcements, including the Opening Festival, bonus events such as prelude and postlude concerts, master classes, and onstage chats with the artists, are still to come!

Musician and composer of jazz and traditional Cuban music, Paquito D'Rivera will open the Latin infused Jazz Series which also includes fellow Cubans Tiempo Libre, Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez and Canada's own Jane Bunnett and The Cuban Piano Masters.

Portuguese-Cape Verdean singer-guitarist Sara Tavares will launch the World Music Series. Also included are Toronto's globetrotting Quartetto Gelato, whose new CD, Musica Latina, explores the music of Argentina, Mexico, Peru and Cuba, on a double bill with amplified alt-classical string quartet Ethel. Rounding out the series are German cabaret singer and bandleader Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester and new first family of Bluegrass, Cherryholmes.

The first two artists of the Vocal Concert Series to be revealed are the Tallis Scholars, an a capella chamber choir from England that specialize in sacred music, and Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley who will make a rare Toronto appearance on Mother's Day.

Internationally acclaimed concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker, an Officer of The Order of Canada, will debut the Koerner Hall Piano Recital Series, followed by Hungarian-born British pianist Andrł░s Schiff, virtuoso Yefim Bronfman (who made his international debut in 1975 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by the legendary Zubin Mehta), French Canadian pianist Louis Lortie in an all-Chopin program to commemorate the composer's 200th Birthday, and Chinese piano sensation Yuja Wang.

Five diverse violinists shape the Strings Concert Series, beginning with the Japanese sensation, Midori (who made her debut with the New York Philharmonic when she was only 11 years old), multiple Juno and Grammy Award-winner James Ehnes (who appears in recital at Koerner Hall and with the Toronto Symphony at Roy Thomson Hall in the same week), American multi-genre violinist Mark O'Connor, Hungarian gypsy violinist Roby Lakatos, who has been called "the devil's fiddler" for his astonishing stylistic versatility, and German violinist Christian Tetzlaff, who will return to Toronto for his first solo recital in ten years.

Simłän Bolłévar Youth Orchestra Brass Ensemble's performance will be one of the highlights of the Chamber Music Series which also include Zukerman Chamber Players with special guest mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, and violinist extraordinaire Pinchas Zukerman who will play the viola on this occasion. American pianist Simone Dinnerstein will be joined by New York's contemporary-classical Absolute Ensemble conducted by Kristjan Jłžrvi in an all Bach programme, and the incomparable Emerson String Quartet will present an all-Dvorł░k evening.

"Along with The Royal Conservatory's many supporters we look forward to the upcoming season with great anticipation," remarks RCM President Dr. Peter Simon. "The quality of this superb performance space ensures for the first time that the students who graduate from The Conservatory's Glenn Gould School - and who'll go on to dazzle audiences around the world - will first train and perform and one of the world's great stagesëŢright here at home."

Founded in 1886, The Royal Conservatory is the largest and oldest independent arts educator in Canada. It is an internationally-renowned centre for performance and learning providing opportunities for personal development through music and arts education in over 300 communities across and Canada and a dozen countries around the world. Each year more than 500,000 Canadians take part in RCM programs, exams and public school initiatives.

All events take place at The Royal Conservatory's home, the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West. More information about the 2009-2010 Concert Season is available on The Royal Conservatory website at www.rcmusic.ca.

The UK National Theatre's Performances Now Playing Live in High-Definition

The UK National Theatreĺ─˘s Performances Now Playing

Live in High-Definition Exclusively in Canada at Cineplex Entertainment Theatres

Four-part series begins June 25th with Phł«dre, starring Helen Mirren,

Dominic Cooper and Margaret Tyzack

TORONTO, ON, May 20, 2009 (CGX.UN) ĺ─ý Cineplex Entertainment, the National Theatre, London and BY Experience, Inc. are pleased to announce a new series of theatrical performances will be presented live from the stage of the National Theatre exclusively in Canada at select Cineplex Entertainment theatres. The first performance in the four-part series, Phł«dre, starring Helen Mirren, will be shown on Thursday, June 25th at 7 pm EST & PST/8 pm MST/6 pm CST in High-Definition (HD) and digital surround sound.

ĺ─˙The NT Live events are designed to bring what we do on the stages of the National to a far greater number of people than we would ever be able to reach otherwise,ĺ─¨ says Nicholas Hytner. ĺ─˙Through high definition broadcasts, we have the technology at our disposal to present our productions beyond the four walls of the National, to reach passionate theatre-goers all over the world, and to do it really well.ĺ─¨

Of her performance in Phł«dre to be sent via satellite to Cineplex Entertainment theatres, Helen Mirren says, ĺ─˙I am very happy to have the opportunity to play Phł«dre - a rich, complex and demanding role ĺ─ý and to be part of NT Live, this grand new adventure for the National Theatre.ĺ─¨

ĺ─˙We are delighted to offer our guests a new series of theatrical performances live from the UK National Theatre,ĺ─¨ said Pat Marshall, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. ĺ─˙This series further extends the entertainment options available at our theatres from the MET opera performances, to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and live concerts. In the first of four performances, Helen Mirren takes on another regal role in Phł«dre that is sure to ĺ─˛wowĺ─˘ our guests when they experience it exclusively on our big screens across the country.ĺ─¨

Lloyd Dorfman, Chairman of Travelex, says: ĺ─˙NT Live is a major innovation in theatre. Weĺ─˘re enormously proud to be part of it ĺ─ý the result of a seven year partnership with the National Theatre, one of the worldĺ─˘s most respected theatres. Day-to-day, Travelex is committed to helping connect people and businesses across the globe. We really hope that this initiative makes world class theatre accessible for those connected by a love of the stage on a truly worldwide scale.ĺ─¨

Advance tickets are now available online at www.cineplex.com/eventsas well as at participating theatre box offices. Admission for children ages 3 ĺ─ý 12 is $16.95 + tax, seniors is $17.95 + tax and general admission is $19.95 + tax. A special group rate is also available for groups of 20 or more at $16.95 per person. For more information on group rates, call 1-800-313-4461.

Mirren will play the title role in Racine's Phł«dre. In the play, based on earlier treatments of the Greek myth by Euripides and Seneca, Phł«dre is the wife of Theseus, king of Athens, who develops a fatal and unrequited passion for her stepson, Hippolyte. Dominic Cooper will play Hippolytus and Margaret Tyzack will co-star as Oenone, Phł«dre's nurse. Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the National, will direct.

Following Phł«dre, the remaining plays in the series include Shakespeareĺ─˘s Allĺ─˘s Well That Ends Well with Clare Higgins on October 1, 2009; and in early 2010, Nation, based on the a novel by Terry Pratchett and adapted by Mark Ravenhill as well as Alan Bennettĺ─˘s new play, The Habit of Art, with Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour.

NT Live events are distributed outside the U.K. through New York-based BY Experience, Inc.

NT Live is supported by Travelex, in partnership with Arts Council England and NESTA.

About Travelex

Travelex is the world's foreign exchange and business payments specialist. With operations spanning 35 countries, the business operates three divisions focusing on retail foreign exchange, cross border business payments and outsourcing partnerships.The company serves a customer every other second and, through an expansive network covering 115 airports, has a global annual audience of 1.8bn people.

About Cineplex Entertainment

As the largest motion picture exhibitor in Canada, Cineplex Entertainment LP owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 130 theatres with 1,333 screens serving more than 63.5 million guests annually. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex Entertainment operates theatres from British Columbia to Quebec and is the largest exhibitor of digital, 3D and IMAX projection technologies in the country. Proudly Canadian and with a workforce of approximately 10,000 employees, the company operates the following top tier brands: Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous Players, Colossus, Coliseum, SilverCity, Cinema City and Scotiabank Theatres. The units of Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund, which owns approximately 99.5% of Cineplex Entertainment LP, are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol CGX.UN). For more information, visitwww.cineplex.com.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The VSO debut of pianist Benjamin Hochman

Pianist Benjamin Hochman plays Mozartĺ─˘s rarely heard Piano Concerto No.9 in his VSO debut. This is followed up by the huge, exciting, passionate music of Russian master Sergei Prokofiev. Conductor LaureateKazuyoshi Akiyama returns to conduct the final PricewaterhouseCoopers Masterworks Silver concerts of the season, which take place on Saturday, May 30th and Monday, June 1st at 8pm at the Orpheum Theatre.

Benjamin Hochman came into prominence when he made his New York solo recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2006. Since then, he has achieved widespread acclaim for his performances. Mr. Hochman has performed with several prominent orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras, Seattle Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Portland Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

"Hochman's demeanor is poised, and quietly confident. His playing is beautiful to hear. From the first moment, his crisp, articulated touch was noticeable, clear but not forceful, even with pedal, and he shaped the phrases in the long cadenza with grace."

-Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Hochman recently appeared at the Bard Music Festival, Bridgehampton Music Festival and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Just prior to travelling to Vancouver, Hochman returned to his native Israel for a special series of concerts and masterclasses. He will also be performing in London, Barcelona, and Amsterdamĺ─˘s Concertgebouw later in the year.

Born in Jerusalem, Benjamin Hochman is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Mannes College of Music where his principal teachers were Claude Frank and Richard Goode. His studies were supported by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.

Mozartĺ─˘sPiano Concerto No.9 in E flat Major was a groundbreaking, revolutionary work in its time, helping to ĺ─˙raise the barĺ─¨ for the piano concerto as a genre and leaving its mark on later concertos by Beethoven and other Romantic composers. Certainly the greatest of the concertos written by Mozart in his time in Salzburg, Classical music author and commentator Charles Rosen also called it ĺ─˙the first unqualified masterpiece in any genre,ĺ─¨ and legendary pianist Alfred Brendel characterized the work as ĺ─˙one of the greatest wonders of the world.ĺ─¨ The relationship between soloist and orchestra is given unprecedented depth in this concerto, the dialogue and juxtaposition of ideas heightened to a remarkable degree compared to earlier piano concertos. The very opening of the concerto itself is a strong statement for change in the way in which piano concertos were previously written: the soloist is introduced right away after a short heraldic statement by the orchestra; afterword, the orchestra is given a typical, though brief, opening exposition, but it is on the pianoĺ─˘s terms. Later, Mozart goes so far as to turn this dialogue on its head, with the orchestra answering the piano. The second movement is one of utterly poignant expressive brilliance. The C minor atmosphere holds the listener in its thrall as the solo parts, written with such a highly personal and expressive voice, weave their way in and out of discourse with the orchestra in a dreamy, almost tragic manner. And though the finale ĺ─ý one of Mozartĺ─˘s greatest Rondo finales ĺ─ý is one of virtuosic energy and joy, there is a serious undercurrent at play which keeps the concerto grounded, as if Mozart knew he was creating a work that would lasting impact through generations of composers.

In response to increasing demands on the planet from climate change and pollution, last year the Ojai Music Festival in Californiaĺ─˘s lush and fertile OjaiValley instituted a multiyear green plan to preserve the historic area once marked sacred by the ancient Chumash Indians for future generations. This year the Festival will continue those efforts with support from California Solar Electric, a leader in clean energy, and LifeSource, which focuses on returning water to its natural state and will introduce several new green initiatives.

ĺ─˙What makes the Ojai Music Festival so special,ĺ─¨ said Festival Executive Director Jeff Haydon, ĺ─˙is the unique symbiosis between the high-level music performed here by the worldĺ─˘s greatest artists and the incredible natural beauty that surrounds us. We want this always to be here for our children and their children, and so we are making every effort to ensure that any changes taking place in Ojai are for the better.ĺ─¨

In cooperation with Ojai Valley Green Coalition and EJ Harrison & Sons and with the support from California Solar Electric and LifeSource, this yearĺ─˘s Ojai Music Festival will continue all of the initiatives it introduced last year, including recycling and decreasing the use of paper products, encouraging walking and biking, providing many zero-waste stations for separating trash, and selecting merchandise and locally produced foods. California Solar Electric, well known for its Green Collar job-training programs for at-risk youths, will provide informative materials at Ojaiĺ─˘s Green Booths. LifeSource will provide three ĺ─˙freeĺ─¨ water dispensing stations located on the Festival grounds, where patrons can fill their reusable drinking containers.

For 2009, the Ojai Music Festival has established a Carbon Fund to offset its carbon footprint and has calculated that the Festivalĺ─˘s 2009 carbon offset will be approximately $680. The Ojai Music Festival will make a donation based on the carbon footprint to Ojai Trees, a non-profit organization that plants trees throughout Ojai. Moreover, collection boxes will be set up for Festival patrons who would like to make donations to the fund.

ĺ─˙We are pleased to participate once again in helping the Ojai Music Festival continue its multiyear green plan,ĺ─¨ said Deb Pendrey of the Ojai Green Coalition. ĺ─˙This is the perfect example of the Coalitionĺ─˘s motto to ĺ─˛think globally, act locally.ĺ─˘ We believe each of us must be conscious of our individual responsibilities to ensure a greener and healthier world starting now.ĺ─¨

This year Trimpin, the sound sculptor, composer, and MacArthur ĺ─˙geniusĺ─¨ grant recipient, will combine the Festivalĺ─˘s environmental and artistic missions. The Seattle-based artist, whose artworks are made from recyclable materials, has created two interactive sound sculptures, which will be on display throughout the Festival at LibbeyPark. The first is ĺ─˙Sheng High,ĺ─¨ a reed instrument activated through blown air and water, and the second sound sculpture is ĺ─˙Giuter-toy,ĺ─¨ made from found toy plastic guitars in all colors.

2009 Ojai Music Festival green efforts include:

ČůProviding free water refills at water stations and encouraging concertgoers to bring their own reusable water bottles or purchase stainless steel or ceramic mugs at Festival concerts.

ČůServing cold drinks in recyclable glass or aluminum containers. Coffee and tea are served in cardboard cups.

ČůEncouraging residents and volunteers to walk, bike, or use the Ojai Trolley to commute to the Festival. Ojai provides a free bike valet area.

ČůSelling reusable totes and bags, and stainless steel containers at the outdoor marketplace.

As part of the Festival green plan, the Ojai Music Festival is bringing back an Ojai market to sell gourmet food and baked goods that use organic and locally grown produce provided by Seasons Catering, and as well as certified organic, shade-grown coffee provided by local shop, Coffee Connection, and Ojai-based Zhenaĺ─˘s organic teas.

Several Ojai Marketplace vendors will be on hand with local Ojai items that include organic olive oil, creams and soaps from Ojai Olive Oil and Vickiĺ─˘s handmade scented soaps.

Trimpindescribes his work as ĺ─˙an ongoing exploration of the concepts of sound, vision, and movement, experimenting with combinations that will introduce our senses of perception to a totally new experience.ĺ─¨ He works with ĺ─˙naturalĺ─¨ elementsĺ─ţwater, air, light, fire, etc.ĺ─ţand reconfigures them in new and unusual applications, pushing them to the limits. Currently, an artist-in-residence at the California Arts Institute, Trimpinĺ─˘s sound sculptures, both whimsical and serious, have appeared all over the world. He previously exhibited his interactive Conloninpurple installation during Ojaiĺ─˘s 60th anniversary season in 2006.

California Solar Electric has been designing and installing solar electric systems on residential and commercial buildings from Los Angeles to the Santa Ynez valley for over eight years. Harnessing power from the sun to free people from high electric bills while reducing carbon footprints is a passion of every employee. California Solar Electric participates in various Green Collar Job training programs, providing at-risk youth in southern California with the knowledge and experience to enter the burgeoning sustainable job force.

LifeSource Water Systems has been committed to environmental awareness and protection since their founding in 1984. Since that time, they have focused on returning water to its natural state in a way that doesnĺ─˘t harm people or our planet.

The 63rdOjai Music Festival takes place from June 11 to 14 at Ojaiĺ─˘s outdoor Libbey Bowl. Since 1947, the four-day Festival has become legendary for its fearlessness in championing pioneering musical ideas and personalities, including the 2009 music director eighth blackbird. This yearĺ─˘s programming reflects the qualities that have made the ensemble a growing musical phenomenonĺ─ţgenre-defying variety in wildly collaborative and visually dramatic presentations. For more information and tickets, visit http://www.ojaifestival.org/ or call (805) 646-2094.

Stratford Summer Music announces ninth season programming

A Portrait of Isabel Bayrakdarian, the Canadian premiere performances of American organist Cameron Carpenter, the complete Brahms piano quartets, and musical lectures by the conductor of the sovereignĺ─˘s personal choir, The Chapel Royal of St. Jamesĺ─˘s Palace, London, are among highlights of the ninth season of Stratford Summer Music.

The 2009 season, dubbed Stratfordĺ─˘s other Festival , will run over four weeks, from Monday, July 20 to Sunday, August 16, said the festivalĺ─˘s Artistic Producer, John A. Miller, at a launch in Stratfordĺ─˘s Balzacĺ─˛s Coffee Roastery, a site chosen because it will host three free presentations of J.S.Bachĺ─˘s Coffee Cantata. (August 14, 15, 16) ĺ─˙Could there be a more appropriate place than Balzacĺ─˘s to produce a work which the great composer himself wrote for Zimmermanĺ─˘s Coffee House in Leipzig in 1733?ĺ─¨, said Miller.

A Portrait of Isabel Bayrakdarian includes a solo recital with pianist Serouj Kradjian; an evening of Tangos based on her Juno-nominated disc Tango Notturno as a fund-raising dinner cabaret at The Church Restaurant; a master class for female voices; a concert of Armenian heritage music sung with The Elmer Iseler Singers; and Operatic Fireworks, Rossini arias sung with the one hundred member National Youth Orchestra of Canada. July 24-31.

Cameron Carpenter, hailed as The Maverick of the Organ, will play three concerts at Knox Church including an all-Bach programand Organsmic Fireworks with some of his own compo-sitions. A video camera trained on his feet and projected onto a large screen will enable audi-ences to see Carpenterĺ─˘s dexterity with the organĺ─˘s pedals. July 30, 31, August 1.

Made in Canada, the piano quartet comprised of four exciting Canadian women each of whom is distinguished in her own musical career - Judy Kang, violin, Sharon Wei, viola, Denise Djokic, cello, and Angela Park, piano ĺ─ý will present the three Brahms piano quartets and short works by Anton Dvorak in a series titled Masterpieces of the Classical Repertoire. August 7, 8, 9.

ĺ─˙As the world celebrates 2009 as an anniversary year for Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel and Felix Mendelssohn,ĺ─¨ said Miller, ĺ─˙itĺ─˘s also interesting to note that all three composers either sang in, or wrote music for, The Chapel Royal Choir in their own days. Who better, then, to deliver musical lectures on these great individuals than Andrew Gant, who directs this choir today in London, England,ĺ─¨ the Artistic Producer remarked. The Guelph-based choral ensemble Tactus will be Dr. Gantĺ─˘s demonstration choir singing musical illustrations for the three lectures. July 23, 24, 25.

Saturday Night Live Cabarets, presented as after-theatre shows at The Church Restaurant, will feature Stratford Shakespeare Festival actresses Barbara Fulton and Chilina Kennedy in their own shows, with an iconic Stratford musician and actor, Cedric Smith, completing the trio with his own cabaret show, A Stratford Conspiracy on August 15.

Building on last summerĺ─˘s successful jazz weekends at Pazzo Ristorante, the ninth season will focus on jazz guitar and feature Celso Machado (Brazilian jazz), Tony Quarrington with vocalist Julie Michels, Michael Occhipintiĺ─˘s Sicilian Jazz Project and, from Newfoundland, the Duane Andrews Duo (gypsy jazz). Jazz sets begin at 9pm every Friday and Saturday night during the music festival with tickets and advance reservations available directly from Pazzo. (519 273-6666).

Two annual presentations will welcome distinguished Canadians. The Maureen Forrester Next Generation Canadian Artists concert will feature National Arts Centre Orchestra trumpeter Amy Horvey in a presentation titled Queen of the Music Boxes on July 29. The Harry Somers Lecture will be delivered by psychiatrist Dr. David Goldbloom on Creativity, Mental Health and Mental Illness on August 5.

Twenty-three, free, noontime concerts from the floating stage, The MusicBarge, will, for the first time, include male and female barbershop quartets and be the inspiration for the 2009 festival poster image, The Composers Quartet, where Bach, Brahms, Mozart and Harry Somers find themselves in artist Eric Beddoesĺ─˘ creation as barber-shoppers singing along the Avon River.

Weekend musical scenarios known as Guerrilla Music will again erupt unexpectedly on down-town streets each Saturday and Sunday and a huge outdoor celebration, The OLG Bluegrass Blowout, will celebrate Ontarioĺ─˘s Simcoe Day holiday on August 3 with groups such as the Creaking Tree String Quartet, Oh Susanna, Lickinĺ─˘ Good Fried and Foggy Hogtown Boys.

On Sunday night, August 16 this ninth season will conclude with The RBC Festival Finale, a concert titled Legacy of Hope: A Salute to America and featuring The Nathaniel Dett Chorale singing repertoire from its Washington appearances at the Martin Luther King Day celebrations and the inauguration of President Barack Obama last January. Jazz vocalist Jackie Richardson, pianist Andrew Craig, the St. Marys Festival Youth Signers and Hon. Lincoln Alexander, former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will also participate in this program.

With half its performances and events free or by donation, Stratford Summer Music continues to set its prices up to $35 in the hopes of repeating its 2008 successes when visitors from across Canada, from 18 American states and seven other foreign nations attended the music festival.

Project Niagara seeks public input for traffic impact study

May 27 public information centre aims to get clear understanding of community issues

The public is invited to a public information centre on Wednesday, May 27, 2009, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Fire Station #1, 2 Anderson Lane in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, to provide input as part of a traffic impact study for the area surrounding the site for Project Niagara ĺ─ý a proposed 17-week international music festival to take place on the shore of Lake Ontario.

Project Niagara is an initiative of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) and National Arts Centre (NAC). The two organizations have been working together on Project Niagaraĺ─˘s development and feasibility since 2004. They are hoping to launch the festival during the bicentennial celebrations marking the War of 1812.

The May 27 public information centre will be an opportunity to meet the consultants from Delcan, the firm leading the study, as well as members of the team spearheading Project Niagara

Four Mile Creek Road

Townline Road

. The goal of the public information centre is to achieve a clear understanding of community issues and the expectations of affected stakeholders, to review the study scope, and discuss issues related to the project including alternative solutions and evaluation criteria. These will be integrated into the process and ensure all study-related concerns are captured and addressed.

Project Niagara is running a notice in several newspapers in the Niagara Region to invite people to the May 27 public information centre. To submit comments, the public is encouraged to contact Nick Palomba, Vice President of Delcan Corporation, by mail at 4056 Dorchester Rd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2E 6M9; by telephone at (905) 356-7003, ext. 222, by fax at (905) 356-7008; and by email at n.palomba@delcan.com.

A second public information centre is planned in the summer to follow-up on the May 27 session.

A feasibility study presented to Niagara-on-the-LakeTown Council on December 15, 2008, by representatives from the TSO and NAC showed that Project Niagara could generate more than a hundred million dollars in economic activity and create hundreds of jobs over several years. The proposed site ĺ─ý located on part of the 268-acre Parks Canada Lands on Lakeshore Road west of the Old Town of Niagara-On-The-Lake ĺ─ý was overwhelmingly chosen over several sites in the Niagara Region based on criteria related to unique beauty, size, and ambient noise.

Project Niagara has committed to working with the Region and the Town to help address any issues relating to transportation and sewage infrastructure. Project Niagara will also collaborate with the Parks Canada Agency to ensure environmental assessment requirements are completed.

Financial backing for the Project Niagara development work and analysis to date has come from the NAC and TSO, as well the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Falls Management Corporation, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the Niagara Economic Development Corporation.

Delcan is a leading international engineering, planning and project management firm with extensive experience throughout Ontario, Canada, and the world in multidisciplinary transportation and traffic projects of all sizes and degrees of complexity. The employee- owned company has been providing clients with innovative solutions for over 50 years and has served the Niagara Region with a local Niagara Falls office for more than 30 years. Delcan has unique knowledge of the Niagara Region and specifically the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake through their involvement in studies such as The Town Transportation Master Plan, the Garrison Village Neighbourhood Infiltration Study, the Chautauqua Area Traffic Investigation and the Old Town Parking Demand Study.

The Classical Archives Launches The Ultimate Online Classical Music Destination

New Music Store and Service Offers Largest Collection of Classical Recordings

and Most Sophisticated Interface on the Internet

The Classical Archives is about to bring online classical music shopping and listening into the 21st century! The Classical Archives ĺ─ý www.classicalarchives.com ĺ─ýgoes live today as the ultimate destination for online classical music and a breakthrough in site navigation that will be welcomed by all. Catering to serious aficionados and eager newcomers alike, the site offers the largest collection of classical music available online as well as extensive background information on works, composers, artists, and much more.

Best of all, the site features a new proprietary navigation and search engine capability that lets visitors search and cross-reference by any relevant criteria: composer, work title, artist, albums, historical period, instrument, genre, and many others that make finding and comparing the best classical recordings easier than it has ever been. In addition to albums from major labels such as DG/Decca, Angel/EMI/Virgin, Sony/Columbia, and 100+ more, the site offers a large collection of free streaming tracks from its own roster of world-class talents.

Pierre R. Schwob, CEO and Founder, notes, "The Renaissance starts here! The Classical Archives will become the ultimate classical music site and a model for music sites in general: where the music you want can be easily and immediately found, and where composers, artists, and works get the respect they deserve. It marks the dawn of a new era for online music sales in terms of its navigation system and the wealth of contextual information it offers. Our sophisticated but elegant system has been developed by our expert team of musicologists, and built by our engineers using the latest advances in web technology. Anyone who has purchased music online, particularly classical music, knows well the current limitations of Internet music shopping and discovery. The Classical Archives is changing the whole user experience."

The newly launched Classical Archives opens its doors as the most complete classical music resource on the Internet with over 620,000 recorded tracks (building to over 1 million!) representing 6,600 composers, 21,000 artists and 100+ record labels representing a unique blend of the majors and independent labels. Tracks are available in high quality DRM-free MP3 for listening or downloading and some in MIDI format for synthesizers. The company's ultimate goal is to offer the complete catalogs of all classical music record labels, as well as independent classical artists in DRM-free format, and to identify the recordings in a proper, consistent, and easily searchable form. Classical Archives will always allow users to keep their downloads for life: they are not tied to any conditions such as staying in a subscription program.

Dr. Nolan Gasser, Artistic Director, states, "We are very proud of the contribution that the new Classical Archives is making to the world of classical music as a whole; for too long, the online consumer has dealt with a broken system, where the music is identified and displayed in an inconsistent, if not inaccurate, manner, making the process of finding and comparing recordings difficult or impossible. Admittedly, it is no easy task to correctly identify the vast repertoire of classical works, and then coordinate their various recordings, but our expert team of musicologists is committed to this goal, and the consumer will experience the music as they have only imagined."

The site provides detailed musicological information for each work: its proper movements and subdivisions, genre, principal instruments, year of composition, and key. Users can then easily compare various recordings of a given work, each identified in a proper and consistent manner ĺ─ý something not possible with any other site.

The new Classical Archives offers unique membership opportunities that allow users to take advantage of its vast resources easily and affordably. Fees are $9.95/month or $99.50/year. Benefits include the ability to listen to music from the whole site (entire tracks or works); a 10% discount on all downloads (which are yours to keep for life!); the first two weeks as a free trial of the service; the ability to access and download MIDI files free of charge.

Free registered members also enjoy great benefits: the ability to listen to any music clips (30-60 seconds); the ability to purchase downloads; and the ability to access and download MIDI files.

The Classical Archives Launches The Ultimate Online Classical Music Destination

PRESS RELEASE

New Music Store and Service Offers Largest Collection of Classical Recordings

and Most Sophisticated Interface on the Internet

New York, NY ĺ─ý The Classical Archives is about to bring online classical music shopping and listening into the 21st century! The Classical Archives ĺ─ý www.classicalarchives.com ĺ─ýgoes live today as the ultimate destination for online classical music and a breakthrough in site navigation that will be welcomed by all. Catering to serious aficionados and eager newcomers alike, the site offers the largest collection of classical music available online as well as extensive background information on works, composers, artists, and much more.

Best of all, the site features a new proprietary navigation and search engine capability that lets visitors search and cross-reference by any relevant criteria: composer, work title, artist, albums, historical period, instrument, genre, and many others that make finding and comparing the best classical recordings easier than it has ever been. In addition to albums from major labels such as DG/Decca, Angel/EMI/Virgin, Sony/Columbia, and 100+ more, the site offers a large collection of free streaming tracks from its own roster of world-class talents.

Pierre R. Schwob, CEO and Founder, notes, "The Renaissance starts here! The Classical Archives will become the ultimate classical music site and a model for music sites in general: where the music you want can be easily and immediately found, and where composers, artists, and works get the respect they deserve. It marks the dawn of a new era for online music sales in terms of its navigation system and the wealth of contextual information it offers. Our sophisticated but elegant system has been developed by our expert team of musicologists, and built by our engineers using the latest advances in web technology. Anyone who has purchased music online, particularly classical music, knows well the current limitations of Internet music shopping and discovery. The Classical Archives is changing the whole user experience."

The newly launched Classical Archives opens its doors as the most complete classical music resource on the Internet with over 620,000 recorded tracks (building to over 1 million!) representing 6,600 composers, 21,000 artists and 100+ record labels representing a unique blend of the majors and independent labels. Tracks are available in high quality DRM-free MP3 for listening or downloading and some in MIDI format for synthesizers. The company's ultimate goal is to offer the complete catalogs of all classical music record labels, as well as independent classical artists in DRM-free format, and to identify the recordings in a proper, consistent, and easily searchable form. Classical Archives will always allow users to keep their downloads for life: they are not tied to any conditions such as staying in a subscription program.

Dr. Nolan Gasser, Artistic Director, states, "We are very proud of the contribution that the new Classical Archives is making to the world of classical music as a whole; for too long, the online consumer has dealt with a broken system, where the music is identified and displayed in an inconsistent, if not inaccurate, manner, making the process of finding and comparing recordings difficult or impossible. Admittedly, it is no easy task to correctly identify the vast repertoire of classical works, and then coordinate their various recordings, but our expert team of musicologists is committed to this goal, and the consumer will experience the music as they have only imagined."

The site provides detailed musicological information for each work: its proper movements and subdivisions, genre, principal instruments, year of composition, and key. Users can then easily compare various recordings of a given work, each identified in a proper and consistent manner ĺ─ý something not possible with any other site.

The new Classical Archives offers unique membership opportunities that allow users to take advantage of its vast resources easily and affordably. Fees are $9.95/month or $99.50/year. Benefits include the ability to listen to music from the whole site (entire tracks or works); a 10% discount on all downloads (which are yours to keep for life!); the first two weeks as a free trial of the service; the ability to access and download MIDI files free of charge.

Free registered members also enjoy great benefits: the ability to listen to any music clips (30-60 seconds); the ability to purchase downloads; and the ability to access and download MIDI files.

New Music in New Places - deadline 1 June 2009

Call for Proposals

New Music in New Places Project 2009-2010 (Sixth Round)

The British Columbia Regional Office of the Canadian Music Centre has received a grant from The SOCAN Foundation to present Canadian music in alternate spaces, and invites proposals for professional performances by eligible parties.

An Associate Composer or Associate Composers of the Canadian Music Centre must be the focus of the event - for a complete list, see the "Find a Composer" section of the CMC website. (http://www.musiccentre.ca/).

The objective of the project is to attract new audiences to contemporary Canadian music through imaginative and innovative presentations in non-traditional settings, including but not limited to galleries, museums, public spaces, and other suitable locations where new music is not normally heard.

Successful candidates will be expected to present a FREE, public event

Čůfocusing on an Associate Composer or Associate Composers of the CMC

Čůfeaturing a programme of music by contemporary Canadian composers

Čůin an alternate non-traditional venue imaginatively using the space

Čůwith a recommended duration of 90 minutes or less

Čůtaking place before March 13, 2010

It must be an event that would not have otherwise taken place.

Presenters will be required to submit a report ("Impact Report") to CMC-BC by March 20, 2010, detailing the outcome.

Other fund-raising is not required but if other funds are needed they must be confirmed.

Grants of up to $1,000 to individuals and up to $2,500 for ensembles and presenters will be allocated by the jury. In total, $6,000 will be spent on selected projects (33 projects were funded in the previous five rounds). Available funds for this round are $12,000 less than last year. Limited supplemental travel funds are available.

The CMC-BC publicist will promote and publicize events.

Eligibility

Professional performers, ensembles, concert presenters and CMC Associate Composers based in British Columbia with a demonstrated commitment to the performance of contemporary Canadian music are encouraged to apply; all concert-music genres (choir, electroacoustics, ensemble, orchestra, solo, and so on) are welcome.

Events cannot be funded retroactively.

Grants may not be used for commissioning of new works.

A jury of non-participating musicians will select the successful candidates from the pool of submissions; results will be announced June 5, 2009.

How to Apply

Application forms are available through the CMC-BC Region and will be available for downloaded from the CMC-British Columbia homepage: http://www.musiccentre.ca/bri.cfm

Deadline: Complete applications must be received (not postmarked) on or before June 1, 2009

The Baltic Sea Festival 2009: 28 August - 3 September in Stockholm

"I'm extremely happy that the Baltic Sea Festival concept has become so generally accepted ĺ─ý that there is so much enthusiasm about it and that the public have really found their way to us. This year's programme is really exciting, especially as we have again gained some 'new friends', who are coming to Stockholm for the first time", says Esa-Pekka Salonen.

For the seventh year in a row, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Valery Gergiev and Michael Tydłęn will present the Baltic Sea Festival (28 August ĺ─ý 3 September 2009) and follow their concept of linking topics relevant to society with outstanding concerts presenting musicians, composers, orchestras and choirs from around the Baltic Sea and the whole world. As in previous years, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is one of the Baltic Sea Festival's partners and is organising a seminar on the collaboration of Baltic Sea issues.

"We believe that culture and music can be important channels through which to build a sustainable society together. With the Baltic Sea Festival we wish to mark the positive collaboration between countries and people!", says the Manager of Berwaldhallen, Michael Tydłęn

This year's festival program will focus on the Year of Remembrance and Peace, amongst others. It exploits the relationship between Sweden and Finland in various ways, including two concerts with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and works by Finnish and Swedish composers like Jean Sibelius, Kaija Saariaho and Anders Hillborg, amongst others. The World Orchestra for Peace will be visiting Stockholm for the first time to honour and commemorate human suffering during the Second World War. Valery Gergiev will be conducting. The final concert will see Berwald Concert Hall's own chief conductor Daniel Harding together with Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir performing Verdi's Requiem.

Esa-Pekka Salonen will open the festival with the European premiere of his own violin concerto which is dedicated to the soloist of the evening, Leila Josefowicz, and has been premiered during his final concert series in Los Angeles. The programme will be completed with Stravinsky's "Oedipus Rex".

The festival also presents additional concerts in Helsinki and St Petersburg as well as a "mini-festival" in Brussels.

The announcement of the sixteen semi-finalists will be made following the last quarter final session on Thursday, May 21.The complete musical programme of each round is available at www.concoursmontreal.ca

16 singers will be chosen for the Semi-finals and 8 for the Finals. The announcement of the laureates will be made following the last final session on Thursday, May 26.

Espace musique, official broadcasterRadio-Canadaĺ─˘s music radio network, Espace musique, is proud to be the official broadcaster of the Montreal International Musical Competition. Following is the broadcast schedule for the various rounds of the competition on Espace musique (100.7 FM in Montreal) and the Espace classique website (Radio-Canada.ca/musique):

- Wednesday, May 27 at 8 pm: Les soirłęes classiques, a whole show devoted to the laureates of the MIMC 2009. Programme includes a broadcast of the recital given by the 1st Prize winner during the Semi-final round. Host: Sylvia Lĺ─˘łÔcuyer | Producer: Michł«le Patry.

- Wednesday, July 1 at 8 pm: La radio des festivals, excerpts from the Final round with the Orchestre Młętropolitain, conducted by Alain Trudel. Executive Producer: Guylaine Picard

In addition to these live broadcasts, the Final round will be heard internationally, thanks to Radio-Canadaĺ─˘s partnership with the European Broadcasting Union. Starting May 19, follow Espace classiqueĺ─˘s competition blog and webcasts at Radio-Canada.ca/musique

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Third annual Grafenegg Music Festival in Austria opens August 20 with Tan Dun as Composer in Residence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2009 GRAFENEGG MUSIC FESTIVAL

20th August ĺ─ý 6th September 2009

Rudolf Buchbinder, Artistic Director

Tan Dun, Composer in Residence

"The Festival has connected with its audience and also with musicians, including at this year's festival Nicolaj Znaider, Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit and Jean-YvesThibaudet, all of whom appeared to relish the atmosphere and the acoustics of the two halls."FINANCIAL TIMES, 4th October 2008

London ĺ─ý The Grafenegg Music Festival launched in 2007 under the artistic direction of Rudolf Buchbinder, Austria's most eminent pianist.Now, with the announcement of the programme for 2009, Grafenegg has proved itself the premier location for relaxed, open-air music making, with exceptional artists.Located in glorious parklands, Grafenegg boasts a fine open-air auditorium Wolkenturm built for the purpose with a capacity of 1730, and a new 1300-seat auditorium.

The Grafenegg Music Festival is the culmination of a summer programme that opens on Friday June 19th with a Midsummer Night's Gala featuring Lang Lang and Janine Jansen.Musical Summer is a series of Saturday evening concerts, five with the Tonkł║nstler Orchestra - Grafenegg's resident orchestra - and two each from the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO).The orchestras will be resident in Grafenegg from two to four weeks.Buchbinder ĺ─ý who is the artistic director for both Musical Summer and for the Festival ĺ─ý resents the straight-jacket imposed on artists by 'themed' festivals, and consequently gives the artists that he invites carte blanche to perform the repertoire of their choice."Our maxim is and will remain quality, and that applies to our artists just as much as it does to the programmes we offer at Grafenegg." As a performer, Buchbinder is confident of his audiences' ability to discern and the Festival's box-office receipts would seem to bear out his confidence.

Testament also to Buchbinder's strategy is the line-up for orchestras and soloists for this year's Festival.Zubin Mehta, who appeared with the Israel Philharmonic in 2007, is returning in 2009 with the Vienna Philharmonic; the London Symphony Orchestra whose first concerts at the Festival were with Valery Gergiev, are returning this year for two concerts with Sir Colin Davis, who last year conducted the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in Grafenegg.The Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra are also returning in 2009, this time with Jonathan Nott and Matthias Goerne.New to Grafenegg are the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Sakari Oramo, the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Ivł░n Fischer, the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Sir Roger Norrington.Also appearing are soloists Leonidas Kavakos, David Blackadder, Annette Dasch and Emanuel Ax, as well as Andreas Scholl who will be appearing with The Shield of Harmony.

The Festival opens with opera stars, Joseph Calleja and Ferruccio Furlanetto singing a programme of arias and duets, and accompanied by the Tonkł║nstler Orchestra conducted by Andrłęs Orozco-Estrada, the orchestra's newly appointed chief conductor.Tonkł║nstler's subsequent performances at the Festival include a performance of Carmina Burana conducted by outgoing chief conductor, Kristjan Jłžrvi (29th August), and the final concert of the Festival, when the Festival's composer in residence Tan Dun will conduct the world premiere of his own Earth Concerto for stone and ceramic instruments with orchestra.

Oscar and Grammy winning composerTan Dun composed Earth Concerto for stone and ceramic instruments with orchestra as the result of a commission from Grafenegg Music Festival and will conduct its premiere alongside Piano Concerto "The Fire", also written by Tan Dun, and Manuel de Falla's Suite El Amor Brujo. Earth Concerto is the third and final work of a concert trilogy, the other parts of which - Paper Concerto for paper percussion and orchestra and Water Concerto for water percussion and orchestra - will be performed the previous week. Earlier on September 6th will be a concert of Tan Dun's chamber music and a screening of his films The Map and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

In addition to the main concerts, there will be Prłęlude concerts on Saturdays and Sundays at 4.30pm; and pre-concert talks by eminent musicologists before each of the main concerts.In all, 15,000 tickets will be available ranging in price from ĺăĘ10 to ĺăĘ99, including access to the magnificent grounds of Grafenegg Castle any time during the day of the concert.

The completion of the 1300-seat auditorium in 2008 in a recently converted riding school completed the ĺăĘ25 million development at Grafenegg, which started in 2007 with the opening of the Wolkenturm, a 1730-seat open-air auditorium.Set in 32 hectares of landscaped gardens, Grafenegg Music Festival takes place in the grounds of Grafenegg Castle, which belongs to the family of Tassilo Metternich-Sł░ndor, Prince of Ratibor and Corvey.Grafenegg is in the Wachau valley - bordering the Danube ĺ─ý an area known for its picturesque medieval villages, and to wine connoisseurs, as the home of the Grł║ner Veltliner, a variety of grape that produces some of the world's finest white wines.

"Beyond a doubt, the Music Festival remains the highlight of Grafenegg.With the expansion of the Musical Summer we now want to put the facility to its best possible use and at the same time offer a summer residence for young, dynamic orchestras." RUDOLF BUCHBINDER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Artistic Director:RUDOLF BUCHBINDER

Pianist and musical ambassador, Rudolf Buchbinder has a formidable reputation and is dedicated to the performance of what has been called the 'New Testament' in piano literatureĺ─ţall 32 piano sonatas by Beethoven.He has played concerts featuring the complete cycle of the Beethoven Sonatas in more than 30 cities worldwide, including Berkeley, Munich, Vienna, Hamburg, Zurich, and Buenos Aires.He owns more than 18 complete editions of Beethoven's sonatas and has an extensive collection of autograph scores, first editions, and original documents.With a discography that extends to more than 100 recordings, Buchbinder has received numerous accolades for his performances, of which a recent highlight was a series of concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic featuring Mozart's twelve piano concertos recorded for DVD.

Venues for 2009:AUDITORIUM & OPEN-AIR STAGE "WOLKENTURM"

The new 1300 seat auditorium has been designed by Dortmund based architects SchrłĆder Schulte-Ladbeck and compliments the open-air stage Wolkenturm (Pillar of Cloud) with which the first festival was inaugurated in 2007.

Orchestra in Residence:TONKł˙NSTLER ORCHESTRA

The Tonkł║nstler Orchestra is one of the most important institutions of traditional Austrian musical culture, but for several years now it has also been pursuing unconventional paths into the orchestral future.As Austria's first orchestra to employ an education officer, the Tonkł║nstler brings its special expertise to the Grafenegg Music Festival, a series of Sunday morning family education workshops ĺ─ý Tonspiele ĺ─ý designed to enable audiences to develop their own relationship with the orchestra.

"Not by chance do events take place on the grounds of Schloss Grafenegg , the ancient castle of the Metternich family.Indeed, the festival is the result of a confluence of separate but complementary interests.One is the urge of the Tonkł║nstler Orchestra of Vienna to have a summer home.Another is the desire of the government of Lower Austria to attract tourists to the regions, which is also home to some of the country's finest wine-producing areas.Prince Tassilo Metternich-Sł░ndor, the family patriarch, saw possibilities for safeguarding the renovation and maintenance of the castle, a tourist attraction in its own right.When the eminent Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder signed on as artistic director, he brought with him a pipeline to top talent."INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE 5 September 2008

Friday, May 15, 2009

Music Director Franz Welser-MłĆst and The Cleveland Orchestra today announced the appointment of Lyle Steelman as assistant principal trumpet and Shachar Israel as assistant principal trombone of the Orchestra. Both will join The Cleveland Orchestra during the 2009 Blossom Festival season ĺ─ý Mr. Steelman on July 29 and Mr. Israel on August 10.

The assistant principal trumpet chair is endowed by James P. and Dolores D. Storer.

* * *

Lyle Steelman, a Cleveland native, comes to the Orchestra from the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, where he has been principal trumpet since 2006. He has also served as a substitute trumpet for The Cleveland Orchestra since 2005. Mr. Steelman served as second trumpet of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2006. A 2001 graduate of the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music, he earned a master of music degree from Southern Methodist University and was principal trumpet of the National Repertory Orchestra. He studied with James Darling, a former member of The Cleveland Orchestra, as well as with Tom Booth of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Shachar Israel is currently the principal trombone of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. From 2004 to 2008, he was the principal trombone of the Haddonfield (New Jersey) Symphony. He has performed in the Verbier and Spoleto festivals, and in 2008 won the Lewis Van Haney Philharmonic Prize Tenor Trombone Competition. He has been a guest of the Canadian Brass, with whom he has also recorded, and he has been a soloist with the New York City Jupiter Symphony Players. Mr. Israel earned a bachelorĺ─˘s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and a masterĺ─˘s degree from the JuilliardSchool, studying with Nitzan Haroz and Joseph Alessi, respectively.

The Brandenburgs completedThursday and Friday, May 21 and 22, 200911 am and 5:45 pmOgilvy Tudor Hall

Montrłęal, May 15, 2009 ĺ─ţ As a fitting framework for its 25th-anniversary season, I Musici de Montrłęal is performing all six of Bachĺ─˘s Brandenburg Concertos. Nos. 1-3 opened the season eight months ago; now Nos. 4-6 are heard as a closing gesture to the Ogilvy Concert Series. Under the direction of Yuli Turovsky, the core ensemble of 15 musicians will be joined by Joł┤l Thiffault (harpsichord), Elvira Misbakhova (viola), Jean-Philippe Tanguay (flute) and Heather Howes (flute). Along with these great soloists and also soloists from its own ranks ĺ─ţ Suzanne Careau (viola), Eleonora Turovsky (violin) ĺ─ţ, I Musici and Yuli Turovsky will explore Bachĺ─˘s magnificent contrapuntal excursions.

Bach and the Margrave of BrandenburgSometime during 1718, Bach met Christian Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg, who resided in the Royal Palace in Berlin. The music-loving Margrave requested from Bach some works for his court orchestra. Three years later, Bach presented him with six ĺ─˙Concerts avec plusieurs Instrumentsĺ─¨ along with an effusive, obsequious dedication and ĺ─˙begging Your Highness most humbly not to judge their imperfection.ĺ─¨ After the Margrave's death, the Concertos were auctioned off in a miscellaneous job lot of seventy-seven pieces. The music was not published until 1850, well over a century after its composition.

The Brandenburgs completed on Thursday and Friday, May 21 and 22, 2009 at 11 am and 5:45 pm. Before a gourmet lunch or as a start to a marvellous evening ĺ─ý join Maestro Turovsky and I Musici in the Ogilvy Tudor Hall, 1307 Sainte-Catherine West, 5th floor. Information and tickets: 514 982-6038 or at info@imusici.com For further information on our upcoming 26th season: www.imusici.com

Thursday, May 14, 2009

TD Canada Trust Family Adventures "Dance with the NAC Orchestra

Veronica Tennant and conductor Boris Brott co-host ĺ─˙Dance with the NAC Orchestra!ĺ─¨ the final TD Canada Trust Family Adventures concert on May 23

Ottawa (Canada) ĺ─ý Family audiences will be swept off their feet by a fantastic exploration of dance music in all its glory when former prima ballerina Veronica Tennant co-hosts ĺ─˙Dance with the National Arts Centre Orchestraĺ─¨ led by Principal Youth and Family Conductor Boris Brott in Southam Hall on Saturday, May 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon. Waltzes, minuets, tap, step, salsa, tango ĺ─ý youĺ─˘ll hear them all, while an array of dancers from The School of Dance move to the beat of our great NAC Orchestra. These bilingual TD Canada Trust Family Adventures are perfect for kids 5 and up and their grown-up friends.

The concert ticket includes ĺ─˙TuneTownĺ─¨, pre-concert activities in the NAC Foyer organized by Friends of the NAC Orchestra 45 minutes prior to each concert, beginning at 12:45 p.m. for the first concert and 2:45 p.m. for the second concert.

Please note that Ottawa Race Weekend will lead to street closures around the downtown area. See below for the Parking Advisory.

ĺ─˙Dance with the NAC Orchestraĺ─¨ will include musical selections from Tchaikovskyĺ─˘s Swan Lake and Nutcracker, Coplandĺ─˘s Rodeo, Johann Strauss Jr.ĺ─˘s On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Bernsteinĺ─˘s West Side Story, Andersonĺ─˘s Blue Tango, and Ginasteraĺ─˘s ĺ─˙Malamboĺ─¨ from Estancio.

The ĺ─˙TuneTownĺ─¨ activities for ĺ─˙Dance with the NAC Orchestraĺ─¨ include The School of Dance providing short contemporary dance performances on the Main Lobby stage as well as stations throughout the lobby to demonstrate the ĺ─˙seven movements of danceĺ─¨; a brass instrumental ĺ─˙petting zooĺ─¨ organized by the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy; an Ottawa Public Library book display on the theme of dance; an activity station by Music for Young Children; a craft station where children can make fans which can be used in dance; and a station where children can look at and try on different types of dance shoes.

All TD Canada Trust Family Adventures feature NACOtron presented in collaboration with Rogers Television. Five television cameras positioned on stage and in the hall capture live video images of the musicians while they are performing, and these images are projected onto a giant screen above the stage allowing the audience to watch the action in close-up.

The Ottawa Citizen is the media partner of the TD Canada Trust Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra.

Tickets for ĺ─˙Dance with the NAC Orchestraĺ─¨ on Saturday, May 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., including TuneTown Pre-Concert Activities, are $12.00 for children and $20.00 for adults (including GST and Facility Fee where applicable) and are on sale now at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Visit the National Arts Centreĺ─˘s web site at www.nac-cna.ca.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

Traffic exiting NAC parking garage will be redirected to Albert Street exit all-day Sat.Drive through traffic from the Box Office will be allowed to go into the garage at Canal entrance and to exit at Albert Street.Traffic will be permitted to cross Elgin St. at Slater and Albert except for a short period of time.Note that parking at the World Exchange Plaza Garage on Metcalfe is free on weekends.

International Organ Festival: RCCO Celebrates 100th Anniversary

RoyalCanadianCollege of Organists

Celebrates 100th Anniversary

INTERNATIONAL ORGAN FESTIVAL

June 28-July 2, 2009 in Toronto

The King of Instruments reigns over Toronto from June 28th to July 2nd, 2009, as the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO) celebrates its 100th anniversary. To pay tribute to Canadaĺ─˘s superb tradition of organ music and organ building, the venerable institution proudly serves up a majestic series of events under the banner of the International Organ Festival. In doing so, the RCCO - Canadaĺ─˘s oldest extant musiciansĺ─˘ association - joins with the American Guild of Organists (AGO) to mark the International Year of the Organ 2008-2009. ĺ─˙The International Organ Festival is a glorious festival for a glorious instrument,ĺ─¨ comments Mark Toews, chair of the RCCO Centenary Celebrations. The unique celebration comprises an array of concerts featuring outstanding Canadian, European and American artists, premiere performances of newly commissioned works, many public events including liturgical services, a family concert and an organ competition, as well as a convention that will bring over 300 organists, musicologists, organ builders from all over the world to Toronto.

Highlights include a magnificent concert by the world-famous organist Dame Gillian Weir and Canadaĺ─˘s own Rachel Laurin performing at Metropolitan United Church (on Canadaĺ─˘s largest pipe organ) with orchestra under the baton of Raffi Armenian; recitals by prominent Canadian organists such as Ken Cowan, PatrickWedd,Jonathan Oldengram and Rachel Laurin, Franceĺ─˘s Thierry Eschaich, Craig Humber (Newfoundland/Austria) and James David Christie (U. S.). With performances by some of Canadaĺ─˘s finest choral groups such as the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, the Exultate Chamber Singers, the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, the Elmer Iseler Singers with True North Brass and Torontoĺ─˘s sensational a cappella group Soul Influence, plus a variety of worship services including High Mass at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene (music of Healey Willan), the RCCO is pulling all the stops to offer dazzling experiences for all music lovers. The Festival also provides a fabulous opportunity to explore and visit many notable and historic Toronto venues and organs and to celebrate the rich history of the RCCO.

Founded in 1909 as the Canadian Guild of Organists, the RCCO is Canada's oldest musicians' association. Today, the RCCO is a nationwide interdenominational community of professional and amateur organists, church musicians, choral conductors, and others sharing an interest in the organ and church music.

OSM Concert in Santa Monica, California

Seven OSM musicians in concert

at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, California

under the direction of Kent Nagano

The Orchestre symphonique de Montrłęal is pleased to announce that the seven musicians in the Orchestra who took part in the tour to Nunavik in September 2008 will be presenting a new concert under the direction of Kent Nagano on Saturday, May 16. Marianne Dugal (violin), Jacques Lavallłęe (percussions), Brian Robinson (basse), Mathieu Harel (bassoon), Alain Desgagnłę (clarinet), James Box (trombone) and Paul Merkelo (trumpet) will be playing at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, California, in the company of throat singers Taqralik Partridge and Evie Mark. The Broad Stage, an intimate venue for 500 spectators inaugurated in 2005, is a one-of-a-kind setting for concerts, visual-art exhibits, dance recitals, stage works, chamber-music performances and poetry readings. The chairman of the board is Dustin Hoffman, a graduate of Santa Monica College.

The ensemble will revisit Stravinskyĺ─˘s The Soldierĺ─˘s Tale. The text, presented this time in English, will be narrated by James Cromwell, who has latterly been seen in the films W (playing George Bush, Sr.) and The Queen (in the role of Prince Philip). The Devil will be played by Hattie Winston and the Soldier by Jordan Belfi. Directing duties have been assigned to William Friedkin, director of the movies The Exorcist, Cruising, Deal of the Century and To Live and Die in L.A., among others, and winner of an Oscar in 1971 for The French Connection. Alexina Louieĺ─˘s Take the Dog Sled, a work commissioned for the musiciansĺ─˘ Far North tour, will also be performed. That piece, inspired by Inuit culture, is scored for seven musicians and two throat singers, Evie Mark and Taqralik Partridge. The program will be completed by the Bach Chaconne (performed by violinist Marianne Dugal) and Stockhausenĺ─˘s In Freundschaft (for solo bassoon, performed by Mathieu Harel).

Anne-Marie McDermott Two Premieres

PROGRAM INCLUDES THE WORLD PREMIERE OF CHARLES WUORINEN'S FOURTH PIANO SONATA AND THE NEW YORK PREMIERE

OF CLARICE ASSAD'S "WHEN ART SHOWED UP"

SERIES FILLS TWO GAPS, BEGINNING JUST WHEN OTHERS ARE ENDING, AND BEING FREE TO THE PUBLIC

The 2009 "Free For All at Town Hall" series will open on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at 5 p.m. with pianist Anne-Marie McDermott performing a solo recital that includes the

world premiere of Charles Wuorinen's Fourth Piano Sonata, which was written for Ms. McDermott; the New York premiere of Clarice Assad's "When Art Showed Up;" and three Haydn piano sonatas, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the death of the composer.

Ms. McDermott, with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, performed the inaugural concert of "Free For All at Town Hall" in 2003. The series, described in The New Yorker as "the price-is-right concert series," is now in its seventh year of providing New York audiences with high quality, free concerts.

The May 31 program is as follows:

Haydn: Piano Sonata Hob. XVI: 40, in G Major

Haydn: Piano Sonata Hob. XVI: 20, in c minor

Charles Wuorinen:Fourth Piano Sonata(World Premiere)

Intermission

Haydn: Piano Sonata Hob. XVI: 52, in E-Flat Major

Clarice Assad: "When Art Showed Up"(New York Premiere)

Rounding out the 2009 "Free For All at Town Hall" series of concerts on Sunday, June 14, at 2 p.m. will be Hilary Hahn in her only New York recital this season. Ms. Hahn will perform works by Brahms, Bartłäk, Ives and Ysał°e.

"Free For All at Town Hall" concludes the series with an all-Schubert program performed by the esteemed Emerson String Quartet on Sunday, June 21, at 5 p.m.

The Town Hall is located near Times Square at 123 West 43rd Street (between 6th Avenue and Broadway). Tickets to all "Free for All" concerts are available only on the day of the concert, at the Town Hall Box Office, starting at noon. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, limit two to a customer, no reservations.

About Anne-Marie McDermott

A fearless elegance surrounds pianist Anne-Marie McDermott as she has proven to be a force to reckon with, exuding an approachable confidence that showcases her versatility and sophistication seen in her solo performances as well as chamber music ensembles. She has a versatile career encompassing over 100 concerts each year in a combination of solo recitals, concerti and chamber music performances. Her repertoire choices are eclectic, spanning works from Bach and Haydn to Prokofiev and Scriabin, to Kernis, Hartke, Tower and Wuorinen.

McDermott debuted with the New York Philharmonic in 1997 under Christian Thielemann and has since appeared with the orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. In the 2008-2009 season, McDermott will perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony, Alabama Symphony, San Diego Symphony, the Oregon Mozart Players, and tour with the New Century Chamber Orchestra.

McDermott was named an Artist Member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 1995. She continues her long standing collaboration with violinist, Nadja Salerno- Sonnenberg, including a CD titled "LIVE" released on the NSS label. McDermott also continues her collaboration with Opus One, a piano quartet with Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley and Steven Tenenbom.

McDermott is the Artistic Director of the Avila Chamber Music Celebration in Curacao, Dutch Antilles, as well as the Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival.

A winner of the Young Concert Artists Auditions, McDermott was also the recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Development Award, the Andrew Wolf Memorial Chamber Music Award, the Joseph Kalichstein Piano Prize, the Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize, the Bruce Hungerford Memorial Prize, and the Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award for Women Artists.

McDermott has recorded the complete Prokofiev Piano Sonatas, which has just been released in a 3-CD set by Bridge Records. She has also recorded Bach's English Suites and Partitas (named Gramophone Magazine's Editor's Choice), and Gershwin's Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra with the Dallas Symphony and Justin Brown (also named Gramophone Magazine's Editor's Choice).

McDermott began playing the piano at age 5. By 12 she had performed the Mendelssohn Concerto in g minor with the National Orchestral Association at Carnegie Hall. She studied at the Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship student with Dalmo Carra, Constance Keene and John Browning..

About Charles Wourinen

Charles Wuorinen (b. 1938, New York) is one of the world's leading composers.His many honors include a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize (the youngest composer to receive the award).His compositions encompass every form and medium, including works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, soloists, ballet, and stage.His newest works include "Time Regained," a fantasy for piano and orchestra for Peter Serkin, James Levine and the MET Opera Orchestra; Second Piano Quintet for Peter Serkin and the Brentano Quartet; Eighth Symphony for the Boston Symphony Orchestra; and the Fourth Piano Sonata, a 17-minute work in four movements, commissioned by Anne-Marie McDermott for premiere on "Free for All at Town Hall." His earlier piano sonatas are the Third written for Alan Feinberg in 1986; the Second written for Jeffrey Swann in 1976; and Sonata (1969) written for Robert Miller.His next project is an opera on Annie Proulx's "Brokeback Mountain."

About Clarice Assad

Clarice Assad is a classical and jazz composer, arranger, pianist, and vocalist.

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Clarice Assad was born into one of Brazil's most famous musical families (she is the daughter of Sergio Assad, one of today's preeminent guitarists and composers), and has performed professionally since the age of seven. Formal piano studies began with Sheila Zagury in Brazil; she then studied with Natalie Fortin and had additional instruction in jazz and Brazilian piano under the tutelage of Leandro Braga.

As a composer, her works have been published in France (Editions Lemoine), Germany (Trekel), and in the United States (Virtual Artists Collective Publishing), and have been performed in Europe, South America, the United States and Japan. Miss Assad's works often have a thematic core, and explore the physical and psychological elements of the chosen story, object or concept.

About "Free For All at Town Hall""Free For All at Town Hall" is a production of Twin Lions, Inc., a non-profit concert production company founded by Omus Hirshbein and Jacqueline Taylor. Their goal is to present great musicians in concerts that are free to the public in spaces that are good for both the music and the audience.

The inspiration for this venture came from Ms. Taylor's experience directing a project at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center called "Beethoven 2000." To celebrate the year 2000, the Chamber Music Society presented the Orion String Quartet performing all of Beethoven's string quartets in six concerts. As a gift to the City of New York, the concerts were free. "People thought I was crazy," commented Ms. Taylor. "After all, it is relatively easy to sell the Beethoven String Quartets at Lincoln Center in New York City, so why give them away?" The answer came when the public arrived to pick up their tickets. Four thousand tickets were given away in under two hours, with the line at Alice Tully Hall stretching from Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue.

Twin Lions, Inc. chose to begin in New York's Town Hall - a McKim, Mead and White building completed in 1921 - for several reasons: one, because they believe it to be one of New York City's finest acoustical spaces; and second, the size of the hall (1,500 seats) would allow them to have large audiences. But, perhaps most important, is Town Hall's history. For a long time it was the place for an important young musician to make their New York debut. The list of people who have performed there is staggering, including Marian Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Igor Stravinsky, to name only a few.

For listings

"FREE FOR ALL AT TOWN HALL"

ANNE-MARIE McDERMOTT, piano

Sunday, May 31 at 5 p.m.

The Town Hall

123 West 43rd Street (between 6th Avenue and Broadway)

New York, NY 10036

Tickets to all "Free for All" concerts are available only on the day of the concert, at the Town Hall Box Office, starting at noon. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, limit two to a customer; no reservations.

"FREE FOR ALL AT TOWN HALL"

HILARY HAHN, violin

Sunday, June 14 at 2 p.m.

The Town Hall

123 West 43rd Street (between 6th Avenue and Broadway)

New York, NY 10036

Tickets to all "Free for All" concerts are available only on the day of the concert, at the Town Hall Box Office, starting at noon. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, limit two to a customer; no reservations.

"FREE FOR ALL AT TOWN HALL"

EMERSON STRING QUARTET

Sunday, June 21 at 5 p.m.

The Town Hall

123 West 43rd Street (between 6th Avenue and Broadway)

New York, NY 10036

Tickets to all Free for All concerts are available only on the day of the concert, at the Town Hall Box Office, starting at noon. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, limit two to a customer; no reservations.

*VALU ĺ─ý THE WILD BULL* A film by Umesh Kulkarni.In the small village of Kusavde, a wild bull is on the loose!Restraining the bull becomes an opportunity to prove one's power amongstthe villagers and soon, everyone from forest officers to priests andmadwomen are struggling to understand and control the Bull. An amusingand hilarious allegory that explores, with sensitivity and insight, thehuman condition. Presented In Marathi w/ English subtitles.

Go to COC.CA to become a Diva for a Day

The Canadian Opera Companyĺ─˘spopular Diva for a Day contest gives one lucky winner the opportunity to be wined, dined and pampered ĺ─ý Japanese style ĺ─ý with a grand prize package valued at $4,000.

The COCĺ─˘s interactive contest, which closes at midnight on May 25, invites users to take a cyber journey to the new, eye-catching Madama Butterfly Historical Journey. Visitors travel behind-the-scenes through the COC archives and discover the making of this production of Madama Butterfly. Once the journey is complete, contestants must correctly answer five COC-related questions to be randomly selected to win one of 12 diva-worthy prize packs.

PSO Closes Robert Moodyĺ─˘s Inaugural Season at Season Finale Concert, June 9

PSO Closes Robert Moody's Inaugural Season at Season Finale Concert, June 9

PORTLAND, Maine ĺ─ý For a thrilling finale to his inaugural season, Music Director Robert Moody leads Rites and Rhythms featuring the virtuosity of the Portland Symphony Orchestra's members, and a unique "sonic travelogue" uniting symphony orchestra with African drumming and dancing. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9 at Merrill Auditorium.

Rites and Rhythms opens with Błęla Bartłäk's Concerto for Orchestra. Widely considered one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, Bartłäk was an accomplished pianist from a very young age. Concerto for Orchestra was the composer's final completed work and combines elements of Western classical and Europeam folk music. The piece is called a concerto rather than a symphony because each section of instruments is treated in a soloistic and virtuosic way.

The headlining piece of the evening, James DeMars' Sabar: Concerto for Senegalese Drums & Orchestra was composed in 2000 on a commission from the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, and was first performed by that orchestra under the direction of Robert Moody in 2001. American composer DeMars wrote Sabar "for the purpose of creating a work that would integrate the musicians of two cultures to celebrate a new millennium." The Arizona Republic called the piece, "ĺ─Âa sonic travelogue, that was stunningly entertaining as well as culturally engaging." Guest drummers Mark Sunkett, Sonya Branch, Medoune Gueye and Abdou Kounta, as well as an ensemble of traditional Senegalese dancers, will join the symphony for this unique season finale.

Sponsored by JetBlue Airways and generously underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Glickman, the PSO's performance of Sabar is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with a Concert Conversation led by Maestro Moody at 6:15 p.m. in the Rehearsal Hall. A radio broadcast of the performance can be heard on Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) on July 29 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets range from $17-$65 and are sold through PortTix at (207) 842-0800 or www.porttix.com, and new this year, the website offers real-time online seat selection. Phone and internet orders are subject to $5-per-ticket handling fees. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office at 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. For complete season information, including artist biographies and program notes, visit www.portlandsymphony.com.

World premiere of R. Murray Schafer commission

The National Arts Centre Orchestra will present the world premiere performances of the NAC-commissioned work titled Dream-E-Scape by iconic Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer on Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday, May 21 at 8 p.m. in the NACĺ─˘s Southam Hall. These Ovation Series concerts feature Ottawaĺ─˘s own world-renowned pianist Angela Hewitt performing Beethovenĺ─˘s Piano Concerto No. 4. Conductor Patrick Summers is also leading Mendelssohnĺ─˘s Symphony No. 5, ĺ─˙Reformationĺ─¨ and Beethovenĺ─˘s Leonore Overture No. 3

R. Murray Schafer, one of Canadaĺ─˘s most gifted, most articulate, most provocative, most eclectic and most performed composers, turned 75 last summer. Dream-E-Scape was commissioned in honour of that milestone. The NAC Orchestra celebrated Schafer in a four-day new music festival and education symposium in March 2008 during which 10 of his works were performed. Many activities of the symposium are archived in the Great Composers section of the NACĺ─˘s Performing Arts Education website ArtsAlive.ca.

The composer writes that ĺ─˙Dream-E-Scape was written in a streak of twenty-six days, scarcely without looking back or trying to remember what had been written the day before. I wanted to try to capture the dream experience of incoherence in which everything is shifting and blurred together. Now we witness one image, now another ĺ─ý shocking, alluring, repellent, voluptuous, risible ĺ─ý totally without consistency or order.ĺ─¨

Angela Hewitt is a phenomenal artist who has established herself at the highest level over the last few years not least through her superb, award-winning recordings for Hyperion. She has a vast repertoire ranging from Couperin to the contemporary and her discography includes CDs of Beethoven, Granados, Rameau, Olivier Messiaen, Ravel, Chopin, and J.S. Bach.

Hewitt says that Beethovenĺ─˘s Fourth Piano Concerto is among her top four favourite piano concertos, that ĺ─˙lift our spirits to another realm. They simply have, in an inspired performance, an emotional power that is transcendental, and moments that give us goose-bumps. In Beethovenĺ─˘s Fourth, that moment for me comes at the end of the first-movement cadenza when the orchestra creeps in under a trill in the piano. How does Beethoven do it? Why does something so simple make us feel that way? It is a moment of incredible tenderness. We simply melt ĺ─ý only then to recover our strength for the forceful close. Perhaps it is that remarkable combination of power and tenderness that makes this piece so special.ĺ─¨

Tickets for these National Arts Centre Orchestra concerts with pianist Angela Hewitt and conductor Patrick Summers on Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday, May 21 at 8 p.m. are on sale now at $19.00, $39.00, $49.00, $59.00, $69.00 and $86.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NACĺ─˘s website at www.nac-cna.ca.

Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $11 at the NAC Box Office from 2 p.m. the day before the concert to 6 p.m. the day of, upon presentation of a valid Live Rush card.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

June is another exciting month for La Scena Musicale as we feature our 13th annual National Festival issue. The second of two nationally distributed issues, it appears on May 29 (Quebec Edition) and on June 5 (English Canada Edition) and continues to provide the most complete information to plan a musical summer in Canada, including our 13th annual Guide to Classical Music and Arts Festivals (more than 150 festivals!). This will be the most comprehensive guide yet with 100 classical music festivals and 700 concert listings, as well as 60 arts festivals. Furthermore, our festival picks highlight the most exciting events. For more information on this guides, please consult:

On the cover is Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, who celebrates her first 10 years of career; she returns to Canada to appear at the Lanaudił«re and Knowlton Festivals after a long year abroad. Our festival coverage continues with a look at the business of festivals through interviews with several festival general directors. One year after major changes at CBC Radio, we ask the main players their opinions. Pianist Alain Lefł«vre continues his Andrłę Mathieu project with the composer's 2nd piano concerto. We look at the music of Henry Purcell, who is celebrated by the Montreal Baroque Festival this year. June will be a Bruckner month in Montreal, as both Symphony # 7 and 8 will be presented; LSM looks at the composer and discusses the works with Raffi Armenian and Yannick Nłęzet-Słęguin. The June Discovery CD features the percussionist Marie-Josłęe Simard.

The deadline for advertising is May 25 (Quebec Edition) and May 29 (English Canada Edition).

Promotions:

Purchase the national issue (double the normal distribution) and pay only 50% more.

Purchase both June and July, and receive July at 25% off

Reach over 100,000 readers with 25,000 copies distributed in Montreal and the province of Quebec, and another 25,000 copies in English Canada. La Scena Musicale contains award-winning editorial features, an extensive calendar of events (province of Quebec including radio and TV listings) and product reviews; readers consult each issue 4.5 times a month, generating 450,000 viewings per month.

Talking about music and arts festivals. La Scena Musicale, La SCENA and The Music Scene are the place to find International and Canadian music and arts festivals in 2009 (in print and online). The following three issues will cover all the 2009 festivals:

International Classical Music and Arts Festivals: Spring 2009 issue of The Music Scene

Canadian Jazz, World and Folk Festivals plus International Jazz festivals: May 2009 issue of La Scena Musicale. This is a national issue (double distribution to 50,000 copies) and the ad rates are 1.5 times the regular rates.

Canadian Classical Music and Arts Festivals: June issue of La Scena Musicale (including the Summer 2009 issue of La SCENA). This is a national issue (double distribution to 50,000 copies) and the ad rates are 1.5 times the regular rates.

This year, La Scena Musicale celebrates the month of mothers with an outing on Saturday, May 23 to the Opłęra de Montrłęal's production of Donizetti's masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor. In Scotland, Lucia is in love with Edgardo, member of an enemy clan. But Enrico, Lucia's brother, forces his sister to marry Arturo. A tragic story of love and madness..

The Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) has recently dropped support for controlled-circulation print magazines in its 2010 application process, rendering La Scena Musicale (LSM), The Music Scene Ontario and La SCENA ineligible to compete for CCA grants. In 2007-08, the Canada Council funded 106 arts & literary magazines for a total of $2,661,900.

We feel that all arts and literary magazines should be treated equally and fairly, and this means the ability to submit an application that is reviewed by a peer jury.

Consequently, La Scena Musicale has launched a campaign to reverse the Canada Council policy change.Please show your support for all controlled-circulation arts magazines (including our family of magazine) by signing up and circulate this appeal.

Want to reach the affluent, sophisticated, urban 35+ demographic or professional and student musicans and artists?

La Scena Musicale invites you into the lives of 100,000 highly educated Canadians with sophisticated taste in culture and lifestyle. Our readers are passionate about music, dance, theatre, film and visual arts, as well as food, fashion and their homes.

With over 15 years of experience sourcing marketing materials from printers across Canada, LSM can help you access the best available printing prices. Invest the money you save on better advertising ĺ─˛real estateĺ─˘ (larger ads and/or better ad positioning) in LSM through its varied media product offering.

La Scena Musicale/The Music Scene is a registered charity promoting music and the arts through three magazines and a website. We connect musicians/artists, the arts community and music/art lovers together through education and information. Help us continue our work with a donation (cash or goods) or by volunteering.

To celebrate its 10 years of audacious artistic programming, the MAI (Montrłęal, arts interculturels) is going on a wild and extravagant ride with a special edition of ECLECTIK ĺ─ý an annual multidisciplinary event dedicated to artistic creation ĺ─ý on May 29 and 30. This year, Eclectik is dedicated to the theme of Folies, giving carte blanche to thirty artists ĺ─ý video artists, dancers, musicians, poets, and DJs ĺ─ý who will create 10 short free-form, hybrid worksĺ─Â foolish, absurd, alienated, improvised, comic, or just plain mad! The evening will be hosted by the queen of the night, Queen Ka!

Eclectik: the showMadly in love, mad as a hatter, stark-raving mad, mad with joy ĺ─ý there are many ways to live madness. Whether it is through individual agitation or collective hysteria, we encounter madness in the absurd moments of our daily lives, and in the violence and chaos of the modern world. But we also find it in ourselves, in our hopes and irrational fears. To encourage experimentation and new alliances in interdisciplinary art, the MAI has invited artists from various disciplines to represent madness in their own way, either as duos or as larger ensembles. Invited artists are Khadija Baker, Alex Cattaneo, Valłęrie Chartier, Moe Clark, Stłęphanie de Courteille, Hinda Essadiqi, Sarah Febbraro, Gamaliel Fonseca, Ayesha Hameed, Queen Ka, Fabrice Koffy, Komodo, Maya Kuroki, Meena Murugesan, Alexandra ĺ─˛Spiceyĺ─˘ Landłę, Karl Lemieux, Clea Minaker, Tomomi Morimoto, Emmanuel Proulx, DJ Static, Handy Yacinthe, Danilo Villaflor and many othersĺ─Â

Eclectik: Workshops for Everyone (ages 10 and up)The Folly of Shadow, Saturday, May 30 at 11 am:Clea Minaker, a puppeteer and visual theatre artist, will give a shadow theatre workshop. Participants will experiment with the art of shadow theatre as a way to tell wild and crazy stories of all kinds.

Dance, YouTube, and Public Space, Saturday, May 30 at 2 pm:Within the framework of her project Global Dancing, artist Sarah Febbraro invites the public to learn a simple choreography via YouTube. For the workshop, she will teach participants the dance routine. This group performance will be presented in front of the MAI, and then recorded and uploaded to YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJVfY1WY-hA

For information on the workshops and reservations, contact Zoł┤ Chan at 514 982-1812, ext. 224 or artsvisuels@m-a-i.qc.ca

10 years alreadyAs a bona fide promoter of contemporary intercultural artistic practices for the past 10 years, the MAI has carved a place both on the local and national art scene while reaching out to diverse audiences. In addition, the MAI has provided creative support and mentorship as well as a meeting and exhibition space to artists of all disciplines and backgrounds. Throughout the years, this vibrant space has welcomed more than 1200 artists, and presented over 180 different productions as well as over 50 exhibitions. The MAIĺ─˘s contribution to the performing and visual arts milieu is invaluable. With ECLECTIK, artists pay it a brilliant tribute for its 10th anniversary.

Tickets for the show are 10$ and can be purchased at the MAI Box Office at 3680 Jeanne-Mance St or by calling (514) 982-3386.

Finals of the NACO Bursary Competition.

Young musicians compete for $18,750 in prizes at the Finals of the NACO Bursary Competition 2009 on May 19

Up to eight young musicians with connections to the National Capital Region will compete for prizes totaling $18,750 at the Finals of the 2009 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition to be held on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. in the National Arts Centre Salon. These finalists will be selected from 36 applicants who auditioned before a jury of National Arts Centre Orchestra musicians and guests on May 16 and 17. The winners will be announced and presented with certificates and cheques at the May 19 Finals. Admission is FREE, but donations to the NAC Orchestra Bursary Trust Fund are greatly appreciated.

Each finalist will perform short orchestral excerpts followed by a movement from a concerto or sonata that features their instrument, sometimes accompanied by piano. Refreshments will be served while the jury deliberates before the announcement of the winners.

The NACO Bursary Competition is open to music students in or from the region aged 16 to 24 who are following a recognized course of music study in preparation for careers as professional orchestral musicians. This yearĺ─˘s Bursary Committee and Jury are chaired by Vernon G. Turner, Canadaĺ─˘s former Ambassador to the USSR and to Israel, and an active volunteer at the National Arts Centre.

The NACO Bursary was established in 1979 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and to thank the people of the National Capital Region for their support during the Orchestraĺ─˘s first decade.. The first competition took place in 1981. The NACO Bursary Trust Fund provides funding for the NACO Bursary of $7,000; the NACO Vic Pomer Award of $2,000; and the NACO Special Prize for Best Orchestral Excerpts worth $750. The NACO Bursary Committee also has available three additional prizes to be awarded at the Juryĺ─˘s discretion: the Harold Crabtree Foundation Award of $5,000; the Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra Award of $3,000, created in 1993 to celebrate the Orchestraĺ─˘s 25th season; and the Piccolo Prix of $1,000 initiated in 2001 by Pasqualina (Pat) Adamo.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

VSO's June Concert Listings

Weĺ─˘re hitting the home stretch, as June marks the final month of concerts for the VSOĺ─˘s 2008/09 Season! Weĺ─˘re close to making it through another successful Symphony Season with just six performances in the month ĺ─ý but what a group of concerts!

June concerts begin right off the bat with pianist Benjamin Hochmanmaking his VSO debut on June 1st at the Orpheum. VSO Conductor Laureate Kazuyoshi Akiyama conducts the orchestra in a concert that features a rarely performed Mozart piano concerto and the passionate music of Russian master Sergey Prokofiev.

Next up is a classical blockbuster featuring Schubertĺ─˘sRosamunde and Mahlerĺ─˘sSymphony No.6.Mahlerĺ─˘s deeply tragic Symphony No.6 is one of the most extraordinary pieces of music ever written, one of the great canons of the symphonic literature. This concert is sure to be an epic musical experience; live concerts with music like this is why symphony orchestraĺ─˘s exist.

Recognized as one of the most beloved musical figures of our time, the great Frederica von Stade (famously known as ĺ─˛Flickaĺ─˘ worldwide) makes her VSO debut teamed up with Samuel Ramey, the worldĺ─˘s foremost operatic bass-baritone. A concert for the ages, these two extraordinary artists at the peak of their careers perform music by Gounod, Berlioz, Boito, Offenbach, Copland and Gershwin. Bramwell Tovey conducts.

The VSOĺ─˘s Season Finale is a real barn-burner: Carl Orffĺ─˘s celebrated Carmina Burana. This work is a musical setting of medieval poetry, from the sacred to the profane, from piety to drinking songs and debauchery. It also happens to be one of the wildest live concert experiences you can possibly have. A wonderful Season Finale for Lower Mainland audiences, and a prelude to the excitement of the 2009/2010 Season!

The Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre in the Canadian Premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance

The Leanor and Alvin Segal Thetre and Reitmans (Canada) Ltd

The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre and Reitmans (Canada) Ltd. present the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre (DWYT) in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE,Gilbert and Sullivan's misadventure on the high seas, from May 31 to June 16, in Yiddish with English and French supertitles.The Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre is proud to bring this Canadian Yiddish premiere to Montreal in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

"It's fun to go back and forth between the 19th-century British silliness and sarcastic, campy Yiddish remarks ĺ─ý and remarkably smooth."

- Backstage, March 19, 2007

"This is England, circa 1890, where the British gentry are fair game for Gilbert's razor sharp wit," explains Director, Bryna Wasserman. "The star of the show, before anyone steps on stage, is without a doubt, the translator." In 1988, Al Grand achieved the monumental task of translating the dizzying tongue twisters and triple rhymes into Yiddish.However, for him it was a labour of love, combining his two great passions: the Yiddish language and the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.Grand brilliantly upholds the harmony between Gilbert's lyrics and Sullivan's music while preserving the Yiddish culture and language.As Isaac Asimov, author and Gilbert & Sullivan aficionado, wrote at the time, "Al Grand doesn't change Sullivan's notes; they're all there; every one of them.And he doesn't change Gilbert's words in essence.He changes them into Yiddish, to be sure. But he keeps the rhymes, the lilt and the wit."

"From today you rank as a full-blown member of our band"

becomesĺ─Â

"It's your buccaneer Bar Mitzvah"

Grand's adaptation is a delightfully whimsical treatment that transforms the popular standard from British to Yiddish.The original English plotline remains intact with Frederic, an apprentice indentured to pirates until his 21st birthday, wooing Mabel, the Major General's daughter, only to discover that he was born on a leap year and won't be free to marry her until 1940. In the Yiddish version, the Major General becomes the Groyser General, an Orthodox Jew and friend of Benjamin Disraeli.Mabel is Malka, Frederic becomes Fayvl, a Yeshiva student, and Ruth, the hard-of-hearing nursemaid who mistook her master's instructions to apprentice the boy to a pilot (not pirate), becomes Rivke.To her, the wayfaring pirates brandishing their swords appear as a group of kosher butchers and the mayhem that ensues is pure Gilbert and Sullivan hijinks, replete with tongue-in-cheek satire and the legendary high-speed patter.

"He [Al Grand] also ably captures the silly, giddy humour that has endeared Gilbert and Sullivan to generations of fans."

- Forward, December 15, 2006

Gilbert and Sullivan operettas demandstrong,nimble vocalists with split-second comedic timing and the DWYT delivers in spades with Gabor Hegedus,from the Segal production of Houdini, in the role of Fayvl opposite Montreal lyric soprano, Kerry-Anne Kutz, as Malka, his love interest. Stephen Mo Hanan reprises his role as the Groyser General from the 2006 New York Off-Broadway production and Jonathan Patterson, who played Ko-Ko in the Janiec Opera Company production of The Mikado,plays the mischievous Pirate King.Michelle Heisler, a DWYT fixture with a versatile range of characters to her credit, steals the show as the well meaning but deaf-as-a-doornail Rivke and Elan Kunin, (Harry Houdini in the DWYT production), rounds out the main cast of characters as the hilarious Head of Police.

Nick Burgess is at the musical helm of this lavish production, overseeing the six-piece live band.Since musically directing The Wise Men of Chelm last year, Nick has added YAYA (Young Actors for Young Audiences), the youth division of the DWYT to his association with the Segal Centre, and is currently developing the "Born for Broadway" program for the Academy. Having performed for eight seasons in various Gilbert and Sullivan productions at Stratford, under the direction of Canadian icon, Brian MacDonald,Jim White's choreography revitalizes the famous farce, drawing on a vast vocabulary from a 35-year career as a dancer and choreographer.Award-winning John C. Dinning, who has designed sets for more than twenty DWYT productions as well as across North America, creates the vibrant 'topsy-turvy' world where pirates and aristocrats collide. Three-time MECCA award winning costume designer, James Lavoie, crafts the grand upper crust attire and colourful buccaneering garb, with Kirsten Watt, having just designed the Segal's sold-out smash, Over the River and Through the Woods, providing the lighting.Paul Brian Imperial stage manages the sizeable 31-member cast, with assistance from Emilie Zifkin and Daphne Ben David.

This year, the annual trilingual offering from the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre is the inaugural production of the first MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL YIDDISH THEATRE FESTIVAL, an ambitious event running from June 17th to 25th, initiated and hosted by the Segal Centre featuring companies from Poland, Israel, Australia, France and more.(For festival details, contact Suzanne Shugar: SShugar@segalcentre.org.)

The 4th annual Art of Jazz Global Jazz Village, taking place from June 5 - 7 in Toronto's historic Distillery District, is proud to welcome an outstanding line-up of artists to this year's event for a celebration of Italian and Cuban jazz. This year's performers include: Mario Romano, the Pat Martino Organ Trio with Tony Monaco, Roberta Gambarini together with Neil Swainson, and the Sicilian Jazz Project, an Italian Blues collective featuring Dave Rotundowith special guests Jumpin' Johnny Sansone and Rita Chiarelli.

"This year's Art of Jazz celebration will pay homage to Italian and Cuban jazz and will feature a rich and diverse collection of artists," says Bonnie Lester, President, Art of Jazz. "In response to the current economic climate we are pleased to announce that the majority of our concerts will be offered to jazz-lovers for free."

The opening night concert on Friday, June 5 will feature Mario Romano, one of the very first students to be part of York University's jazz program. At the age of 22 he was already recognized as one of the up and coming jazz pianists in Canada. His Argentinean background was influential to his approach to the piano, and to jazz itself. Romano will perform with his trio featuring Shelly Berger and Vito Rezza and will be joined by special guest Jane Bunnett. The concert will raise funds and awareness for Art of Jazz education programs and for the Villa Charities Foundation.

On Saturday, June 6 Art of Jazz presents the Canadian debut of Anacaona, a 16 piece women's orchestra from Cuba nicknamed the "Buena Vista Sister's Club". This historic all-female Cuban dance band stormed to success in Cuba during the 1930's, and quickly became the toast of Old Havana. Also known as 'Las Mulatłésimas del Sabor', Anacaona is considered one of the major forces in Cuban popular dance music globally. Tickets for this performance are $25 in advance at ticketweb.ca or $30 at the door.

Art of Jazz welcomes the return of Rashid Ali who wowed audiences in our first year; Rashid will perform a free concert on Sunday, June 8 with his dynamic quintet

On Sunday June 7, a special presentation of Nino Rota's music will be performed by a collection of this year's artists against a backdrop of some of Fellini's most memorable scenes. Roberta Gambarini, nominated for a Grammy in 2007 for Best Jazz Vocal Album and as 2009 Singer of the Year in the Jazz Journalist Association Poll, will perform in a special duo concert with bassist Neil Swainsonon Sunday June 7 in the Fermenting Cellar.

Throughout the weekend Art of Jazz will present intimate workshops by many of the featured artists including Roberta Gambarini and Christine Jenson. And back by popular demand is our Kids n' Jazz program with Canadian harmonica sensation with Mike Stevensand New Orleans blues man Jumpin' Johnny Sansone. This year, Trinity Square will be transformed into a piazza, featuring the best of Italian cuisine, fine wine, beer, street art and more.

The Women in Jazz stage will showcase the Christine Jensen Quartet, the Dave Restivo Trio featuring drummer, percussionist, educator, clinician and composer Alyssa Falk, the Sienna Dahlen Quintet and a joint presentation of Lisa Particilli's 'Girls Night Out Jazz Showcase' featuring some of the finest jazz vocalists in Toronto.

It is thanks to the generosity of Mario Romano and Castlepoint Investments that this year's Art of Jazz Global Jazz Village is able to present a weekend of stellar jazz.

About Art of Jazz: Art of Jazz is an artist-founded, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the cultivation of jazz education and performance. Founded in 2005, the organization's mission is three-fold: to provide jazz education and mentorship programs to a new generation of artists and audiences in Canada; to present innovative-year-round programming; and to build a permanent home for jazz in Toronto. For more information on Art of Jazz visit: www.artofjazz.org

Widely recognized as the countryĺ─˘s foremost performance and training program for young opera professionals, the Canadian Opera CompanyEnsemble Studio celebrates its 30th anniversary during the 2009/10 season.

Ensemble Studio members participate in a diverse and challenging training program that includes intensive vocal coaching, language studies, acting, personal training and Alexander Technique classes. They also participate in seminars and masterclasses with internationally recognized professionals. Ensemble members understudy as well as perform leading and supporting roles in COC mainstage productions. In addition, they participate in the COCĺ─˘s annual Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour, which provides young audiences throughout Ontario with an introduction to the world of opera. The 2009/10 school tour runs throughout the month of November 2009, delighting young audiences with and an bridged version of Rossiniĺ─˘s The Barber of Seville and a production of Cinderella featuring a mix of Rossini and Massenet operas.

Mozart's CosłĘ fan tutte Showcase the COC's Ensemble Studio

The Canadian Opera Companyĺ─˘s Ensemble Studio culminates a year of training with a production of Mozartĺ─˘s masterpiece, CosłĘ fan tutte. This new production showcases the talented artists of the COCĺ─˘s Ensemble Studio, the companyĺ─˘s training program for young opera professionals. CosłĘ fan tutte is sung in Italian, and is presented at the Imperial Oil Opera Theatre in the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, 227 Front St. E., for four performances only on June 15,17, 19, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. and June 21, 2009 at 2 p.m.

Set in 19th-century Naples, CosłĘ fan tutte, Mozartĺ─˘s classic tale of the battle between the sexes, follows two soldiers, Ferrando and Guglielmo who believe that their fiancłęes, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, will remain eternally faithful. Don Alfonso, an elderly cynic, plants the seed of doubt regarding the ladiesĺ─˘ faithfulness and wagers with them that if given the chance, the women will stray. Through the use of disguises, the men deceive their fiancłęes and all four learn important lessons about the uncertainty of love.

To showcase all Ensemble Studio members, each role will be shared over the course of four performances. The role of Ferrando is sung by tenors Michael Barrett and Adam Luther, while baritones Alexander Hajek and Ensemble Studio graduate Justin Welsh share the role of Guglielmo. Fiordiligi, Guglielmoĺ─˘s fiancłęe, is sung by sopranos Betty Allison, Ileana Montalbetti and

Laura Albino. Dorabella, Ferrandoĺ─˘s fiancłęe, is sung by mezzo-sopranos Erin Fisher and former Ensemble Studio member Lauren Segal. Ensemble Studio graduate bass-baritone Jon-Paul Dłęcosse and bass Michael Uloth sing the role of the scheming Don Alfonso, and sopranos Lisa DiMaria and Teiya Kasahara alternate in the role of Despina, the sistersĺ─˘ maid who encourages the women to pursue other men. Award-winning conductor and Mozart specialist Martin Isepp shares the podium with former Ensemble Studio member Steven Philcox, and Michael Albano, director of last seasonĺ─˘s mainstage production of The Barber of Seville, directs. Sets and costumes for CosłĘ fan tutte are designed by Lorenzo Savoini while Renłęe Brode lights this comedic favourite.

Tickets for CosłĘ fan tutte are $75 and are available online at www.coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. All performances are general admission. For more information on CosłĘ fan tutte and the COC Ensemble Studio, visit www.coc.ca .

The COC Ensemble Studio is widely recognized as the countryĺ─˘s foremost performance and training program for young opera professionals. The members of the Ensemble Studio are the COCĺ─˘s resident artists and are important ambassadors for the company. Since its inception in 1980, over 150 young professional Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors, and conductors have acquired their first major professional operatic experience through the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. Chosen through a national audition process, members of the Ensemble Studio receive a blend of advanced study and practical experience over a period of one to three years. Former members include Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Gidon Saks, John Fanning and Wendy Nielsen.

The Ensemble Studio is generously supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, The Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee, The John A. Cook Young Artist Development Fund, Harris Steel Group, The Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation, The Hal Jackman Fund at the Ontario Arts Foundation, Jo Lander, Ruby Mercer Fund, George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation, Roger D. Moore Ensemble Studio Endowment Fund, RBC Financial Group, The Slaight Family, The Stratton Trust, William and Phyllis Waters, and an anonymous donor.

About the Canadian Opera Company

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC currently enjoys a remarkable 99% attendance rate for its mainstage season. The companyĺ─˘s new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. and is Canadaĺ─˘s first purpose-built opera house. Acclaimed as one of the best opera houses in the world, the Four Seasons Centre is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.

Canadian Opera Company Website

The Canadian Opera Companyĺ─˘s new website, at www.coc.ca , contains information on all productions including synopses, historical background, and production photographs.

MXCO announces Introduction to Forum Theatre Workshop

Mixed Company Theatre Announces

The Introduction to Forum Theatre Workshop!

Explore masks and manipulations to comprehend human behaviour as Mixed Company Theatre hosts its annual Introduction to Forum Theatre Workshop in Toronto, June 15 ĺ─ý 18, 2009. Designed for educators, social workers, community leaders, theatre students and professionals, workshop participants will learn the methodology of forum theatre.

Through improvisation and theatrical games, experienced workshop facilitator and Mixed Company Theatre Co-founder, Simon Malbogat, guides the group through the stages of ice-breaking, bonding, trust, and sensory awareness. Working with image theatre and forum theatre, the participants will take part in open-discussion and find images that represent their own perceptions of the challenges in their lives, or the lives of the people around them.

Forum Theatre techniques are designed to investigate all sides of hard-to-talk-about issues. In sessions limited to 25 participants, this 4-day interactive worksho